Dollar slice dead 99-cent pizza shop hikes price to $1.50 months after opening
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The dollar slice is dead — again.
An East Village pizzeria that hoped to fill the void left by 99-cent competitors that caved into soaring inflation has hiked its slice price to $1.50 — just two months after opening.
In late March, days after the famed 2 Bros. Pizza chain landed on The Post’s cover for raising the price of a cheese slice from a buck to $1.50, 99 Cent Pizza fired up its ovens on East 14th Street, a sign that the dollar slice’s demise may have been reported too soon.
Yet last week, the upstart pizza shop was already rolling out new menus featuring cheese slices for $1.50 — and giving its thrifty customers upset stomachs.
“It’s sad being a 6th grader and seeing everything get more expensive,” said middle-school student Elijah, 11, who said that he’s taking his business to Delis for more substantial fare like a bacon egg, and cheese sandwich. “We don’t have jobs. I’m not Michael Jordan pulling out this money.”
Other customers were disappointed the higher price wasn’t leading to better quality pizza.
“It said $1.50, I thought it would taste better,” said actor Curtis Bonner, 50, chowing down on a plain cheese triangle for lunch. “Tastes like grease!”
As a dozen middle and high schoolers rushed the counter at 99 Cent Pizza to grab a quick afternoon bite, a 23-year-old employee heated up pies while blaming the sudden price hike on inflation.
“Flour last month was $18, now it’s $28,” the dough slinger said. “The owner said that’s not good business so he upped the price.”
Eli Halali, a co-owner of 2 Bros., told The Post in March that higher ingredient costs also had made it impossible for his company to break even with the dollar slice on the menu.
“The biggest issue in recent months was cheese prices stabilizing at a higher average than where they’ve been for the last decade,” Halali said, noting cheese makes up 40% of the company’s food costs.
Scott Wiener, the pizza maestro behind Scott’s Pizza Tours, said that even before inflation walloped the country, the dollar slice’s expiration date was imminent.
“With some of the restaurant leases, you had 10 years, and if you signed it in 2010, by 2020, you’re due for a rent increase, which means the model is shot,” Wiener said.
“To sell your slices for a buck a pop, those days are gone,” he added.
News of 99 Cent’s price hike was first reported by EV Grieve. Management for 99 Cent did not respond to interview requests.
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