Slashed Prices Spark New York Pizza Drama

When pizzaioli fight, the customers win.

According to a lengthy piece in The New York Times, there's a stretch of Manhattan where one can currently get pizza for pocket change, as warring pizza vendors slash prices so far that none of them can make a living, but nobody is willing to be the first to capitulate.

For the past year, Bombay Fast Food/6 Ave. Pizza on Sixth Avenue and nearby Joey Pepperoni's were selling pizza at $1 a slice.

In October, a 2 Bros. Pizza opened next door to Bombay/6 Ave., but pizza was still $1. Cats and dogs lived together; everyone was happy.

Then it gets complicated.

For the past week, slices at 2 Bros. and Bombay have been just $0.75, which both parties say is untenable. They're both blaming each other and threatening to go even lower.

According to Bombay/6 Ave., 2 Bros. Pizza randomly and unprovoked dropped their price to $0.75 in an attempt to bully Bombay out of business.  

2 Bros., though, says Bombay started the whole thing by dropping their price to $0.79, prompting 2 Bros. to go to $0.75, because who wants to make change for $0.79?

 So the NYT engaged in some investigative reporting that would make Lois Lane proud: They checked the 2 Bros. security tapes and confirmed that Bombay/6 Ave. Pizza had lowered their price to $0.79 when 2 Bros. was still selling for $1. Busted.

2 Bros. admits it can't make money selling slices at $0.75, but it won't go back to $1 unless Bombay does it first.

"We might go to free pizza soon," said co-owner Oren Halali.

"We have enough power to wait them out," said co-owner Eli Halali. "They're not going to make a fool of us."

Meanwhile, Joey Pepperoni's is taking the high road, and its official position seems to be that this whole thing is ridiculous.  

"I can tell you we're absolutely not dropping our price," said owner Met Zade. "For $1 a slice, you can still make a profit... At $0.75, you'd be a mouse on a wheel."

There's no telling who will give in first, or if everyone involved will go out of business. Until that happens, head over to Sixth Avenue. There might be free pizza.