It must be an acquired taste.
A day after Barstool Sports CEO Dave Portnoy got into a heated altercation with the owner of Dragon Pizza in Somerville, Massachusetts, the pizzeria was packed with seemingly satisfied customers.
One customer even disagreed with Portnoy’s review, giving his piece — a maple bacon slice — a much higher rating than Portnoy did.
“I’d give this one probably around a 9 [out of 10]… But it is a little floppy, I do have to agree there,” the customer told The Post while chewing. “Yeah, I saw [the altercation]. I thought it was better than he rated it, but that’s just my taste. The owner, [identified by the Boston Globe as Charlie Redd], seemed a little bit out of control, maybe he was having a bad day.
“It got caught on camera, I think that’s what it was.”
The 46-year-old Portnoy, who recently reacquired Barstool Sports from Penn Entertainment for $1, visited the pizza shop for one of his pizza reviews, which has been one of his trademarks since he rose to sports media prominence.
In a series now dubbed “One Bite,” Portnoy visits famous pizzerias and, well, takes one bite and subsequently records a review of the pizza right outside the restaurant, giving it a rating from 1-10.
Portnoy clearly did not enjoy his slice from Dragon Pizza and began ragging on it as “trash” and a “floppy mess,” giving it a 6.4 rating.
That’s when Redd walked out and confronted Portnoy.
“Enjoy your pizza as any customer, but I don’t appreciate what you do, coming in and judging a business in one bite,” Redd said.
After Portnoy responded that he helps small businesses, the owner shot back, “I don’t see it that way,” before going back into the pizzeria.
A few moments later, Redd re-emerged and told Portnoy to stop standing in front of his business.
“Let me be clear, f–k you,” Portnoy shot back repeatedly before calling the owner a “motherf–ker” and an “a–hole.”
Redd threatened to call the police, and when Portnoy asked what for, he replied, “for being a f–king bitch.”
Though Redd could be seen in the pizzeria on Friday, he appeared to have no interest in using the attention for newfound fame.
A paper plate with “we are not talking about it” written on it is taped to the window.
The customer who gave the 9 out of 10 rating said his decision to visit Dragon Pizza on Friday was in part due to Portnoy’s review.
“It made me think about getting a slice of pizza,” he said. “That was it.”
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