The Violet Stone's viral moment: How a St. Pete pizzeria is growing after Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy's one-bite review
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jun 4, 2024

The Violet Stone, a Philadelphia-style pizzeria in St. Petersburg's Kenwood neighborhood, was already looking for a larger storefront. It had been in an 800-square-foot space, with a food truck parked out back, for about a year and was struggling to keep up with its rapidly growing customer base.

Then Dave Portnoy, founder and owner of media company Barstool Sports and known for his viral pizza reviews, walked in — and delivered a rave. The Violet Stone's already heavy crowds now line up down the block.

To accommodate the demand, Violet Stone owner Dan Fekete has leased 2,100 square feet at 2609 Dr. MLK Jr. St. N in Crescent Heights, the same neighborhood where he launched Violet Stone as a food truck in 2022. Fekete will invest $150,000 in the new space, which will seat 110 people and feature multiple ovens and an open kitchen. He'll also double his employees, from 11 to 25, and plans to open by Labor Day.

“The thing about dive spots is people will go there once just for the experience, but boy, is it hard to get them back a second time if it's 100 degrees inside,” Fekete told the Tampa Bay Business Journal. “This new building will be air-conditioned and have parking and will just be so much more comfortable than what we’ve been able to provide before. We’ll also have outdoor dining for those people who just want to come out on a nice night and grab a sandwich.”

The Violet Stone goes viral

The Violet Stone is known for its crispy and slightly burnt crusts, and its food didn't take long to develop a cult following. Originally, Fekete invested in the Kenwood location at 2134 Ninth Ave. N. with the goal of using it as an extra kitchen. But with takeout orders rolling in, they soon parked the truck behind the shop and focused entirely on filling orders.

The day Portnoy arrived, a new oven had just been installed, and the media mogul's pizza was the second to ever be placed inside. When Portnoy lifted the slice to begin his routine motto — “One bite, everyone knows the rules" — he joked that the restaurant must have known his preferences for a well-done slice because the crust was far darker than he expected. But he soon realized the pizza wasn't just well done; it was burnt. He took a bite, then another, before heading back inside to show the crust to the staff.

He offered them a second chance, and Fekete said Portnoy stayed for nearly an hour as they fixed the oven and made a new pizza. He gave them a rave review of 7.9. (If the first one had not been burnt, it would have been an 8.1, Portnoy said.) The Violet Stone's cheesesteak received a whopping 9.2 rating.

Fekete said business has quadrupled since Portnoy's visit. Though months have passed, they are still selling out most nights. As a result, they have extended hours to accommodate more customers.

“We just cannot explain how grateful we are for this city,” Fekete said. “We do a different style of food. It’s not for everyone, but we really are trying to be a staple in this city. We’re having the time of our lives doing this and hope to be able to keep doing it for a long, long time.”

A St. Pete staple, built to last

Fekete and his wife, Brittany, and their young children relocated to St. Petersburg from Philadelphia in 2020. They wanted to open a restaurant and build something that would “become a staple in the city for 100 years.” Fekete has always been passionate about cooking.

Despite working in the tech industry, he would cook for several hours every day for his family and friends. He said they are true critics, and their feedback helped him improve his skills. He always feared trying to monetize his hobby, as he knew there was a risk of tarnishing his passion.

But the idea wouldn’t leave him, and he decided to go all-in on the pizza their family loves, initially with a food truck. Beyond the well-done pizzas, The Violet Stone serves sandwiches on bread it makes in-house. Fekete said their hoagies are better than Publix Super Markets' Pub subs. (He's aware that may be a controversial statement.)

Despite the whirlwind success, Fekete said he is simply proud they were able to provide something of quality for the community they’ve come to love so deeply. One day, he said, the goal is to own a spot they can slowly expand and pass their operation down to their children.

"We moved our family here; we want them to raise their kids here and every decision we make is about, ‘Will this keep us here for 50 years? How about 100 years?’” Fekete said. “We focus on the food. I don’t come from the restaurant industry; I come from tech so I knew whatever we did had to be the highest quality. We don’t focus on signage or marketing. I forget to turn the sign on to the building half the time. We just focus on the food.”