SF pizza world reacts to controversial Dave Portnoy's visit, reviews

"It's a boon for the area, which has seen a recent surge in excellent pizza, because his reach is extensive. With over 5 million followers on Instagram, almost 4 million on X, nearly 3 million on Facebook and just under 1.5 million on YouTube, Portnoy brings a lot of exposure to small businesses with his pizza vlogs. It's why the New York Times in 2023 dubbed him "almost certainly the most influential person on the American pizza scene.""

"In 2018, Portnoy posted a video of a naked employee taking a shower without his consent, then belittled the employee on a web show for being upset. A few months later, he disparaged a female employee's appearance, saying that she would not "be able to put her face in front of a camera in five years, because people will throw up.""

"A year later, several women publicly accused Portnoy of abusive sexual encounters. More followed in 2022. Portnoy denied the encounters were nonconsensual. Despite all this his fame remains, with his vast reach that has helped struggling pizza businesses across the country. In 2024, he donated $60,000 of his own money to save a Baltimore pizzeria. In 2025, he went on "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon to talk about his pizza reviews."

Dave Portnoy arrived in the Bay Area for the Super Bowl and filmed content for One Bite Pizza Reviews. He has millions of followers across social platforms, which brings exposure to small pizzerias. The New York Times called him "almost certainly the most influential person on the American pizza scene." Portnoy has a history of offensive behavior, including posting a nonconsensual shower video in 2018, disparaging a female employee's appearance, and resurfaced videos where he used the N-word and compared Colin Kaepernick to an ISIS member. Several women later accused him of abusive sexual encounters; he denied nonconsensuality. He donated to save a pizzeria and appeared on The Tonight Show.

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