‘Spectacular’: Massachusetts pizza shop sees spike in business, huge lines after Dave Portnoy visit

CHELMSFORD, Mass. — A Massachusetts pizzeria that is beloved locally is now gaining national attention after Barstool owner Dave Portnoy recently stopped by for a slice, praising it as the best pizza he’s “had in a long time.”

Portnoy, whose pizza reviews are widely viewed on social media, made his way to Joanie’s on Parkhurst Road in Chelmsford while he was in the Bay State for the Army-Navy football game.

“When you think pizza and my legacy, you think Dave Portnoy and what he does, this is what I want my pizza to look like,” Portnoy said upon opening a box containing a large Joanie’s cheese. “How doesn’t this place have a line around the corner?.. This was great, great pizza.”

Portnoy went on to call the pizza “spectacular” and gave it a rating of 8.4 out of 10. He even returned to the eatery and told an employee, “This is as good as I’ve had in a long time.”

After Portnoy’s visit, Joanie’s Pizza announced in a social media post that it was shifting to in-person orders because it had “doubled our previous pizza record.”

“It has not been possible to take orders over the phone or online with the current volume,” Joanie’s wrote. “Wait times are hovering around an hour. We’re going to take as many orders as we can and make as much pizza as we can without compromising our product.”

In a post two days before Christmas, Joanie’s staffers said they were looking forward to an extended holiday break making an “insane amount of pizza.”

“The last week has kicked our butts, but we feel incredibly fortunate,” the post read. “With the help of our family, some friends, some friends’ family, and some friendly customers, we made an absolutely insane amount of pizza. We hope if you made it through the long wait, you enjoyed it!”

Joanie’s describes its pizza as New York-style “characterized by a thin, crisp yet flexible crust.”

Portnoy noted that he would have rated the pizza 8.6, explaining that he prefers his slices without the grated cheese that was on top.

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