Barstool Sports Founder Dave Portnoy Donates $60K to Rescue Veteran-Owned Baltimore Pizzeria

In a heartwarming gesture of holiday generosity, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy donated $60,000 to save TinyBrickOven, a struggling pizzeria in Baltimore’s Federal Hill neighborhood, New York Post reports.

The shop, owned by Navy veteran Will Fagg, had been preparing to close on Christmas Day due to financial difficulties, including the inability to secure a liquor license.

Portnoy visited the pizzeria while in Maryland for the Army-Navy football game and filming his popular pizza review series. During his visit, he learned about the challenges facing the business and praised the shop’s thin-crust, New York-style pizza. He rated the slice 7.9 out of 10, a solid score by his standards.

Upon hearing that $60,000 could keep TinyBrickOven open for another year, Portnoy immediately offered the funds, sealing the deal with a handshake.

“There’s no way this place should be going out of business,” he remarked in his review.

The review quickly went viral, garnering over 12 million views on Portnoy’s social media.

Since the review aired, business at the pizzeria has surged, with customers forming lines out the door and the shop’s phone ringing non-stop. Additionally, a pre-existing fundraiser for the pizzeria saw donations exceed $50,000 within 24 hours of the video’s release.

Fagg, who opened TinyBrickOven in 2019, has a history of community service, using his business to support various causes, from feeding the homeless to raising funds for the Maryland Food Bank. Reflecting on the outpouring of support, Fagg described the experience as a “Christmas miracle.”