SANTA DAVE: Barstool's Dave Portnoy saves veteran-owned Baltimore pizza shop

The president and founder of Barstool Sports, Dave Portnoy, donated $60,000 to save a veteran-owned Baltimore pizza shop from closing its doors forever. Tiny Brick Oven was set to close on December 25 until Portnoy, famous for his OneBite pizza reviews, intervened and saved the business. The gesture has been described as a Christmas miracle.

Portnoy was on a pizza tour through Maryland when he stumbled upon Tiny Brick Oven in Baltimore. That's when he met owner Will Fagg, who was over the moon ecstatic that Portnoy was about to review his pizza, calling him a personal "hero." The pair struck up a conversation, which included Fagg detailing the business's financial hardships and informing Portnoy that the shop would be closing on Christmas Day.

"We're getting ready to close, man. We can't get our liquor license here. It's been like crazy...we're just not making money, man," the owner said, who proceeded to praise Portnoy for raising millions of dollars to save small businesses from shutting down during the pandemic. "The thing is, our politicians gave this market down here their liquor license, but they won't give us ours."

The Barstool Sports president walked outside to review the pizza, and after taking "one bite," he was amazed at how tasty the cheese pie was. "There's no way this place should be going out of business, none!" Portnoy said. He awarded the pizza a 7.9 out of 10 rating, saying it was a "very good, this, New York-kinda style" pizza. Portnoy returned to the door to speak to the owner and informed him that he would be pledging $60,000 to help the restaurant remain open and eventually obtain its liquor license.

The surprised owner expressed his gratitude as did many on social media, with some referring to Portnoy as "Santa Dave." New York Billionaire Bill Ackman also donated to the shop and called on local legislators to fast-track the company's liquor license.

Tiny Brick Oven is a veteran-owned establishment that has hosted numerous community events and fundraisers over the years. The pizza shop also has a "pay-it-forward" program for the needy. Before Portnoy stepped in to save the day, the restaurant detailed why it was closing in an announcement posted on its website.

"Tinybrickoven has always been a family-run restaurant, owned by the community because you are our family. Since we opened, we've shared so much together - feeding the homeless, supporting veterans, raising funds for Thomas Johnson, cheering for the Orioles and Ravens, and even trying out for Shark Tank," the message said.

"But now, that home is in danger of disappearing. This isn't by choice; it's because Senator Bill Ferguson and Delegate Luke Clippinger refuse to approve our liquor license - while businesses just a few blocks away are granted theirs. Though we've done everything we can, their refusal may mean the end for us, despite the law allowing them the power to help."

"Please, reach out to Senator Bill Ferguson and Delegate Luke Clippinger to show your support for keeping our family-run, community-owned restaurant alive," the pizzeria owner urged customers.