Digital media company Barstool Sports and frozen ready meal brand Happi Foodi have partnered to produce a new line of ready-to-heat pizzas, branded as One Bite Pizza. The product range launched on September 28 at over 3,500 Walmart stores in the United States and online at Walmart.com, OneBite.app, FreshDirect.com and HappiFoodi.com.
Barstool Sports’ Founder and President Dave Portnoy’s One Bite pizza review series is reportedly the most engaged online pizza show in the world, averaging over 2,000,000 views across platforms. Portnoy is ranked as the No. 1 pizza influencer with the highest engagement on the Internet.
The One Bite franchise has taken hold as Portnoy (pictured above with an enthusiastic pizza product sampler) visits pizzerias across the USA, eating and rating products one slice at a time based on his first bite — stating the catchphrase: “One Bite. Everybody Knows the Rules.”
During the height of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic that locked down much of the nation, Portnoy was limited with delivery options and forced to pause in-person reviews. Pivoting to frozen pizzas, his at home frozen pizza reviews sparked a journey to create the best frozen pizza recipe and share it with the general public.
Barstool Sports partnered with Happi Foodi, an experienced and established brand, to produce a portfolio of pizzeria-inspired frozen pizzas under the One Bite banner. The Secaucus, New Jersey-headquartered company bills itself as a chef-created, foodie-inspired frozen food team on a mission to delight customers with products that include Keto Bowls, Cauliflower Pizzas, Veggie Sides, Waffles and more. It has successfully embraced the recent and ongoing growth of the frozen food segment with a focus on better-for-you ingredients.
“Pizza is a huge part of my brand. I’ve been involved in the process every step of the way with Happi Foodi, from ingredients to taste testing to packaging, and we’re excited to take it to over 90% of Walmart stores,” said Portnoy. “This has been a passion project of mine for years and I’m excited for our One Bite community to finally get to rank my pizza. And remember, this is a frozen pizza scale.”
Each of Portnoy’s One Bite Pizza recipes starts with an Italian stone-baked crust, savory tomato sauce, grated parmesan cheese, olive oil, herbs and spices. The pizzas are topped with grated cheeses including mozzarella, cheddar and provolone, as well as with bacon, pepperoni and seasoned sausage. Four flavors are currently available: 5 Cheese, Pepperoni, 3 Meat and Supreme.
“Partnering with Dave Portnoy and Barstool Sports has created a revolution in how packaged foods are innovated, marketed and sold,” said Happi Foodi CEO Sam Rockwell. “We are excited to leverage our development and distribution capabilities to make One Bite Pizza a success. Between Dave’s equity in pizza, Happi Foodi’s expertise in packaged consumer goods and Barstool’s megaphone, we have the opportunity to drive unprecedented growth.”
