Where Is Table 87 Coal Oven Pizza From Shark Tank Today?
For budding entrepreneurs, "Shark Tank" is the opportunity of a lifetime. The show allows those with a growing business to pitch their idea to a team of investors with the hopes of striking a deal to help take their brand to the next level. In some cases, they walk away with nothing, while other appearances eventually turn into household names (think: Cousins Maine Lobster, Squatty Potty, and Tipsy Elves).
Table 87 founder Thomas Cucco appeared on the show in 2015 with the same dream: to make a deal with an investor that would take his frozen pizza brand to new heights. Table 87 creates coal-fired pizzas that are cooked in less than two minutes, then packaged and sold in the frozen food aisle of the grocery store. He claims that his pizzas are different from other frozen pizzas because they're coal-fired and cooked with high-quality ingredients.
Cucco sought $200,000 for a 10% stake in his company and received offers from Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner, and Barbara Corcoran. By the end of the episode, Cucco decided that Greiner ultimately offered the best deal for his business — $250,000 for a 20% stake, which Cucco slyly negotiated down to 19%. It's been more than seven years since Table 87 made its "Shark Tank" appearance — where is the brand today?
Greiner promoted Table 87 pizza on Twitter
In April 2016, only a few months after Thomas Cucco presented his pitch to "Shark Tank," investor Lori Greiner promoted the product on her Twitter feed. In her tweet, she made sure to point out that the product appeared on "Shark Tank" and was available for purchase at Whole Foods. "If tonight is pizza night in your house," Greiner wrote, "Must try my @Table87 from #SharkTank!! Seriously SO good!" Only four months later, Greiner again took to Twitter to post about Table 87, this time promoting it alongside Bantam Bagels and Heidi Ho Organics.
In the several years since that post, Greiner has not posted about the product a single time, so her present involvement in the pizza company is unclear. However, Cucco has continued to grow the company. According to its website, Table 87 pizzas come in four varieties: margherita, pepperoni, prosciutto, and mushroom with white truffle oil. Each pizza is 10 inches, and a package of four pizzas retails online for $99 — a steep price at nearly $25 each. These are the online prices, though, and the pizzas are available in the frozen food aisle for about $10. Table 87 sets itself apart with its individual slices.
Consumers can also purchase one slice at a time of its margherita pizza, which allows people who live alone (or who don't like to share) to avoid cooking an entire frozen pizza that might go uneaten.
Table 87 has received plenty of recognition
Table 87's pizzas are available in grocery stores around the country, including places such as Whole Foods and Wegman's. Since its appearance on the show, the pizza company has been featured in plenty of media outlets, with The New York Times even publishing a whole essay about the pies back in 2021. Table 87's pizzas have been featured in places like Food Network, Wirecutter, and Eater, per its website. Of course, the most interesting question remains: What do customers think of the pizza?
The reviews are generally positive, with YouTube commenters raving about the brand — many didn't realize it was a "Shark Tank" product until they researched it. For example, Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy gave his one-bite review and didn't hold back on his love for the brand. "It's very good," Portnoy said. "I wish it was crispier, but the taste and the texture [are] far superior to the traditional frozen pizza."
Understandably, some internet users saw fit to criticize the pizza's diminutive size, with one user writing, "You don't get a lot of pizza for $10, it's barely a meal for one." However, most people agreed the ingredients tasted fresh, and some even said they won't purchase any other type of pizza brand. Simply put, it appears Table 87 has gained plenty of traction — and fans — since it won over the investors on "Shark Tank."