How Barstool Sports' David Portnoy's visits to 4 Bucks County shops created a pizza frenzy

Bucks County is known for a lot of things, but pizza isn’t usually one of them.

At least not until last month, when David Portnoy, also known as “El Presidente” and the founder of Barstool Sports and One Bite Pizza, made his way to four local shops, offering his viral “One Bite” reviews.

At each one, which included Peppino’s in Chalfont, HG Bucks Bagels in Warminster, Lucatelli’s in Doylestown and Russo’s in New Hope, he dished out favorable ratings ranging from 7.5 to 7.8.

The positive reviews led to a wave of excitement across the Bucks County food scene — typically overshadowed by its counterparts in larger urban centers like Philadelphia and New York City — resulting in a surge of customers flocking to the suburban pizza shops for a taste.

Here's what brought 'El Presidente' to Bucks County and how he impacted some of these businesses:

Why was David Portnoy in Bucks County?

The stops in Bucks County came about while Portnoy was in Philadelphia for a guest appearance in Alex Cooper’s Unwell Tour, which made two stops at The Met in early November.

Heading from Philadelphia to Lehigh County to catch a flight out of town, Portnoy said he wanted to check out a few places along the way.

“We started in Philadelphia. We’re going all the way down to Lehigh, then flying to Texas. Just trying to hit spots we haven’t been to," he said during his video review of Peppino's.

Cooper, by the way, is a Bucks County native from Newtown, according to a recent Philadelphia Inquirer story. Her podcast, “Call Her Daddy,” is currently ranked number four in Spotify’s Top Podcast charts. Before being acquired by Spotify in 2021, the podcast had been owned by Barstool Sports.

What did ‘El Presidente’ think of HG Bucks Bagels?

A visit from Portnoy, means taking the good with the bad. Never being one to hold back, Portnoy stayed true to form as he delivered a brutally honest review outside Bucks Bagels, lambasting the shop for advertising New Haven-style pizza.

“This is kind of like a little coal-fire action, but it’s not apizza,” Portnoy said between bites.

Apizza, pronounced “ah-beetz,” is a pizza style rooted in New Haven that was originally brought to the coastal Connecticut town by Italian immigrants in the early 1900s. Cooked in a coal oven, apizza is characterized by a thin crust that is light, crispy and slightly charred.

Without elaborating on why he felt the pizza didn’t qualify as New Haven-style, Portnoy went on to say, “They’ve got to take that down. I’m insulted. And it’s good pizza, but don’t insult me and don’t insult New Haven.”

Despite his initial rant, however, he ultimately gave the pizza a positive rating.

“Having said all that, it’s pretty good. I’m gonna go 7.7, but .2 deduction for saying it’s New Haven-style pizza when it’s not. 7.5.”

Following the review, HG Bucks Bagels shared Portnoy’s post with a brief response. “Guess we’ll have to take down the New Haven Style Pizza sign!! Thanks David Portnoy - El Presidente,” they wrote.

Lucatelli’s Pizzeria adjusts to meet demands after One Bite review

Portnoy has established himself as a major influencer — his One Bite Pizza Review channel on YouTube alone has more than 1.1 million followers — making it easy to imagine how a single review could deliver almost instant fame to any pizza shop.

But for many small businesses, a sudden surge in customers lining up outside their doors is simultaneously a blessing and a curse.

At Lucatelli’s, business has since doubled in the weeks that followed Portnoy’s visit, said owner Dave Schiano, which took them by surprise at first.

“We’ve got a lot of tourists coming in from all over. He’s (Portnoy) brought people from outside the area in. And the locals are like ‘Hey, we were your original customers here.’ But we really try to take care of everybody,” Schiano said.

Initially, Lucatelli’s was unable to keep up with the increased demand. But Schiano said they have since reworked a few things to keep the business running smoothly and their customers happy, which includes bringing in additional equipment, ordering more supplies and getting an earlier start on prep.

In addition, the Doylestown shop has plans to expand, as they work on a lease to increase the footprint of their current space, Schiano said.

“We’re working with the landlord to take over next door. We’ll have more seating. And We’ll have more kitchen and prep space to keep up with the demands,” he said.

“In January, it’ll be two years (since opening), and the response we’ve gotten from Doylestown has been incredibly supportive. So, we’re not going anywhere; we’re here to stay.”

'El Presidente' turns Barstool Sports, One Bite Pizza into viral trends

Portnoy founded Barstool Sports in 2004, after a stint at an IT firm. Portnoy originally intended for Barstool Sports to be a newspaper and cultivated the brash "El Presidente" character, who would write most of Barstool Sports' content at the time.

In its current iteration, Barstool Sports is a launching site for sports, trending culture and commentary.

Portnoy is also a die-hard pizza fan who has reviewed dozens of pizza spots nationwide as part of his "One Bite Reviews," which can be viewed on his website, on YouTube or through the One Bite app.

Where to find the Bucks County pizza shops rated by Portnoy

Peppino’s Tomato Pies: 449 W. Butler Ave., Chalfont; 215-716-7722; peppinoschalfont.com

HG Bucks Bagels: 1179 York Road, Warminster; 215-674-1400; hgbucksbagels.com

Lucatelli’s Pizzeria: 73 Old Dublin Pike, Doylestown; 215-377-9990; lucatellispizzeria.com

Russo’s Pizza: 41 N. Main St., New Hope; 267-740-2344

Cesare’s Ristorante: 1407 Radcliffe St., Bristol; 215-788-3831; cesaresristorante.com. Cesare’s received an 8.1 rating in a review Portnoy posted in 2020.

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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: What brought 'El Presidente' to 4 Bucks County pizza shops last month