This week was supposed to be the last for Will Fagg’s little pizzeria on Federal Hill, TinyBrickOven.

He had a good career for five years, but says he had a hard time staying in the business because he couldn’t get a liquor license. He had planned to open the place Tuesday for Christmas carols and hot cocoa, a way to say a “sweet goodbye” to his pizza family and his first brick-and-mortar restaurant.

Instead, customers flocked to his Light Street pizza restaurant on Christmas Eve, not to shed tears but to enjoy his meal or grab pizzas to go. And celebrate his 15 minutes of internet fame. And ask for selfies with him.

“Chris, are you here?” Fagg, wearing a red chef’s hat, called out to a customer waiting for a pizza. “Where’s Chris?”

Thanks to Dave Portnoy, the controversial founder of the blog Barstool Sports, Fagg managed to throw pizza for another day. Portnoy stopped by to check out his pizza a few weeks ago, and when he learned that Fagg planned to close the store on Christmas, he pledged $60,000 to keep the store open.

He liked the pizza — and Fagg, an easy-going guy known for his support of the community.

Portnoy posted a video of his review online Monday night, and things have been a bit hectic at Fagg since then. As of late Tuesday, on

On Tuesday evening, Fagg couldn’t believe his luck. That’s why he’s not closing his doors – he’s going to keep trying to make it work.

“I’ve never had anything like this happen to me in my life, man,” Fagg told a reporter amid a rush of dinner guests.

If this all seems a bit like a feel-good holiday movie, Fagg seems to share that opinion. He thought it would be symbolic to close on Christmas, but instead it felt like a “Christmas miracle,” he said.

Portnoy in Baltimore

Portnoy, a Massachusetts native, began filming his pizza reviews in 2013. His pizza review channel One Bite has more than a million subscribers on YouTube and has since grown to include an app and a festival of the same name. He rates pizzas on a scale of 1 to 10, often with decimals.

While Portnoy is popular — he has 4 million followers on TikTok — his approval comes with an asterisk. He has doubled down on racist and misogynistic statements he has made in the past and lost a defamation lawsuit in 2022 against Insider.com, which published two stories quoting women accusing Portnoy of sexual assault and misconduct, according to The Washington Post.

Portnoy was spotted in mid-December at several Baltimore-area restaurants before uploading his first review of a Baltimore pizzeria on Monday evening. He rated TinyBrickOven 7.9.

The video shows Portnoy entering the narrow pizzeria and Fagg immediately recognizes him.

“Oh my God, you’re like my hero,” Fagg says, grinning from ear to ear.

Fagg offers to cook him a fresh pizza, but Portnoy says he doesn’t have time, so the restaurateur puts one in the oven to warm it up.

Noting that he didn’t even know Portnoy was in Baltimore, he welcomes him to Charm City and points out that one of his friends had tagged Portnoy on social media so he could try the pizza. He also tells him he planned to close later this month, citing his difficulties getting a liquor license.

“It was crazy, man, it was totally crazy,” Fagg, 52, said.

The video shows Portnoy coming out of the store as fake snow flutters from above. He opens a box to examine a large cheese pizza.

“That looks good,” Portnoy announces.

He praises Flagg’s cheerful demeanor and support of the veterans to the cameraman, then takes a bite. “Oh, please be good,” he jokes.

Portnoy bites twice from the bottom and once from the crust.

“This place definitely shouldn’t go bankrupt. None,” he announces.

Portnoy goes back to the front door and asks Fagg how much money he would need to stay open for a year.

Fagg hesitates for a moment. He’s not sure. When pressed, he says he thinks he could do it with $60,000 and a liquor license to sell beer and wine.

“Done,” says Portnoy.

The men shake hands and Fagg and a guest in the restaurant cheer.

After his visit, Portnoy posted the video on X along with a link to donate to the restaurant.

Fagg is from Northern Virginia and served as a Navy medic. He said he has been in the pizza business for about a decade, but has only been in a brick-and-mortar store since 2019.

“I’m pretty serious about my pizza, I think,” Fagg said. “We have a lot of customers from New York and New Jersey and we always say, ‘Hey, we have the best New York pizza in Baltimore.’ And they say, ‘Well, I’ll judge that.'”

Fagg has asked for the public’s support and help in obtaining a liquor license. In 2023, he wrote a blog post encouraging customers to contact state Senate President Bill Ferguson and state Rep. Luke Clippinger, both of whom represent the city.

“It is time for Tinybrickoven to take the next step in our journey and obtain a liquor license,” Fagg wrote. “This allows us to enhance your dining experience and bring even more vibrancy to our beloved neighborhood.”

Was Portnoy’s visit and donation a stroke of luck or the result of Fagg’s years of trying to get the pizza blogger’s attention?

We may never know.

“He told me it was a coincidence, but I mean, it’s really hard to believe because … we wanted him to come here for four years,” Fagg said. “I mean, his name has been on my wall for four years.”

Some customers increased their efforts to get Portnoy’s attention on social media after Fagg announced its closure, he said, urging, “Please come and help.”

Councilman Zac Blanchard said Portnoy’s donation to keep the Fagg store open was a great cause for a great person.

“What a wonderful thank you and opportunity from a very well-attended national platform to highlight a small business that not only makes great pizza, but is also a great supporter of the community in many ways,” Blanchard said.

He noted that Fagg donates to local causes and always finds ways to be helpful and involved in the community. According to the program’s GoFundMe page, Fagg has a Pay It Forward program that turns donations into hot pizza for someone in need.

In six days, 348 people raised $18,868, surpassing the first goal of $5,000 and then surpassing the goal of $10,000.

“Thanks to you, those in need have experienced the warmth of hot, handmade pizza and the kindness of a caring community,” Fagg wrote on GoFundMe. “Your support embodies the true spirit of the season – sharing comfort, love and joy. As the year comes to a close, we are reminded of the power of giving and how much stronger we are together.”

Fagg said donations have flowed to the charity since Portnoy’s review. He held up a series of printed donation receipts.

When asked about his plans for Christmas Day, he said: “We thought we might close, but as I, you know, maybe have a few extra donations to give, I’m hoping we can find a few homeless people.” I would like some hot cake.”

Christina Tkacik contributed to this story.

The story has been updated to show the total number of page views and likes for posts about the pizzeria on X.