Pizza Today - September 2022 - 14

MAN ON THE STREET SCO TT WIENER
Slice, etc.) were doomed from the start.
Tying your restaurant's identity to price
doesn't leave much wiggle room. Now
these places are in the uncomfortable
position of having a name that promises
one price and a menu that reveals another.
I always get a laugh out of seeing dollar
slice shops with big signs that say " $1.50
slice. "
Th e smarter shops have names that
don't lean into pricing. Th ere are at least
nine locations of 2 Bros. Pizza, and they
started upping their prices even before the
pandemic. Th e folks behind 2 Bros. Pizza
even had the foresight to launch two
additional brands selling market price
slices. One called Upside, and another
called Norm's, because they knew the dollar
slice model was temporary.
I'm not upset about the loss of these
Death of the Dollar Slice
N
ew York City has long been
a city of slices. While other
locales thrive on either dine-in
or takeout, NYC's pedestrian culture has
led to a tradition of consuming individual
slices (of cheese pizza) on-the-go. Just
over a decade ago, in the wake of the near
collapse of the fi nancial industry, a caricature
of the New York slice emerged. Bare
bones slice shops popped up in areas with
high foot traffi c, promising hot cheesy
slabs on paper plates for just a buck. Th eir
margins were super low, but high sales
volume made up for it. Th ese pizzerias
presented a business model that worked
great with predictable sales and expenses,
but recent economic changes clearly point
to the end of the dollar slice genre.
Before I get into all the reasons the
reign of the dollar slice is coming to an
end, I should fi rst mention that these
pizzerias were never built to last. Once
your rent goes up, the margins fl y out the
window. Since most NYC leases last for
10 years (with fi ve-year extension
options), the runway was clear from the
start. Th at's the primary reason we're seeing
dollar slice shops close their doors.
Of course, these dollar slice shops are
dealing with the same ingredient cost
increases as everybody else across the
country. It wouldn't be such a big deal if
sales volume increased to cover the diff erence,
but the pandemic completely gutted
foot traffi c on the streets in areas with lots
of offi ces because so many companies are
still working remotely.
It's pretty clear which shops knew the
end would come and which ones were
oblivious. Th e pizzerias with names that
specifi cally reference their pricing (99
Cent Fresh Pizza, 99 Cent Express, $1
dollar slice shops. While I do love the
fact that a city with such a high cost of
living still has aff ordable food options,
I've always thought of the dollar slice
shops as doing a disservice to New York
pizza. Th ey've devalued the New York
slice by lowering consumer expectations.
We already have the big delivery chains
for convenience and pricing, so the dollar
slice trend only confused the public with
regards to what to expect from slice shops.
I often get people on pizza tours who use
the term dollar slice to refer to all by-theslice
pizzerias. It's off ensive.
For the consumer, a high-quality New
York slice is still the aff ordable and delicious
solution for on-the-go dining.
According to Food & Wine, the average
slice price in NYC is just $3.14,
which is lower than the national average!
We're even experiencing somewhat of a
renaissance of excellent slice shops with
newcomers like Lucia, Scarr's, L'industrie,
and Upside garnering national attention.
In a way, the loss of the dollar slice is a
good thing for the identity of the sacred
New York slice.
SCOTT WIENER is the founder of Scott's Pizza Tours in New York City and SliceOutHunger.org Instagram: @scottspizzatours
14 / PIZZATODAY.COM / SEPTEMBER 2022
http://www.SliceOutHunger.org http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM

Pizza Today - September 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - September 2022

Commentary
Digital
Conversation
Mike's Monthly Tip
Man on the Street
Building Blocks
On Deck
Knead to Know
Destinations
Holiday Gift Cards
Pyramid of Hospitality
It's a Party Season
Veggie Pizzas
Versatile Pasta Shapes
Seafood Pizzas
Seafood Pizza
End-of-Year Tax Prep
National Pizza Month Planning
A Pizza and Pasta Northeast Preview
Product Showcase
Pizza Today Yellow Pages
The Marketplace
Expo Spotlight
Pizza Today - September 2022 - CT1
Pizza Today - September 2022 - CT2
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Cover1
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Cover2
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Commentary
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 4
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 5
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 6
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 7
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Digital
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 9
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Conversation
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 11
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Mike's Monthly Tip
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 13
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Man on the Street
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 15
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Building Blocks
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 17
Pizza Today - September 2022 - On Deck
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 19
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Knead to Know
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 21
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 22
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 23
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Destinations
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 25
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Holiday Gift Cards
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 27
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 28
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 29
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Pyramid of Hospitality
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 31
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 32
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 33
Pizza Today - September 2022 - It's a Party Season
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 35
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Veggie Pizzas
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 37
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Versatile Pasta Shapes
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 39
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 40
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 41
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Seafood Pizza
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 43
Pizza Today - September 2022 - End-of-Year Tax Prep
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 45
Pizza Today - September 2022 - National Pizza Month Planning
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 47
Pizza Today - September 2022 - A Pizza and Pasta Northeast Preview
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 49
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Product Showcase
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 51
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Pizza Today Yellow Pages
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 53
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 54
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 55
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 56
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 57
Pizza Today - September 2022 - The Marketplace
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 59
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 60
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 61
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 62
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 63
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 64
Pizza Today - September 2022 - 65
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Expo Spotlight
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Cover3
Pizza Today - September 2022 - Cover4
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