Naples 45 Responds to Outrageous Price Hike Accusations
Wednesday I allowed a Midtown Lunch’er to air his grievance against Naples 45 (on 45th btw. Mad+5th), a restaurant that has raised the price of their after 2pm slice special twice in the past year. The restaurant responded yesterday with an email of their own:
Dear Zach,
The article about Naples 45 posted [Wednesday] on Midtown Lunch saddens us, as the afternoon slice discount has always been a program of goodwill towards the community.The price of flour has gone up four times over the past 12 months, and the dollar is at a record low against the Euro – which means that the Italian ingredients that we import to make our authentic Neopolitan pizza (San Marzano tomatoes, Italian low-gluten wheat flour) have gone up multifold. We have been forced to raise the price of the afternoon special slice to $1.75 from $1.25 (available after 2 PM).
But we are still keeping the price at under $2 – whereas elsewhere in the city slices have similarly gone up and many charge up to $3 (see a recent article in The New York Times here.)
Patina Restaurant Group
It’s all fun and games until somebody gets saddened. All Some kidding aside though, as much as I’d like to get sarcastic and tear this email to shreds, I do feel bad for these restaurants who are forced to find a balance between the rising cost of goods on one side, and cheapo bastards with blogs on the other side. It also helps to know that commenters will probably do it for me.
Posted: 8:00 am, August 1st, 2008 under Airing of Grievances, Naples 45.
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37 Comments
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This whole discussion is ridiculous! Naples 45’s slice price is under the NYC average, and more importantly, it’s the best pizza in town!
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The best pizza in town?? Tom, you either work for Naples, have a good friend/sibling that works for Naples, or you just don’t get out very much. The slice is good and all, but calling it the best in town is sheer ignorance .
(ironic coming from a guy who’s name is ignorant, eh?)
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That email sounded alright until it was signed by a restaurant group.
WHA?
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They need to quit whining! It still costs them less than .20 or .30 to make a slice!
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I dont know if the maths on slice prices is correct, but the slice is indeed far cheaper than most others in midtown. I paid $5 for 2 on wednesday..
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Goats, not sure you’re including all the elements like rent and a pizza oven.
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Naples serves excellent pizza for below market prices (especially below market for similar “gourmet” style pizza).
I don’t understand how anyone can complain about this. I’ve been a loyal (and much too frequent) supporter of Naples ever since I discovered the 2 pm deal on this site about 2 years ago. And if you’re slice is not hot enough, ask them to put it back in the oven and they will.
How can people get angry about $1.75 for a huge slice of gourmet pizza with fresh mozzarella and pepperoni? It don’t make no sense, I tell ya. -
um, “program of goodwill”???? right dudes, you just keep saying that if it makes you feel better. goodwill is giving free pizza to hobos and shit. marking down your congealed-cheese slices is a MARKETING PLOY. jesus h christ. HIGH HORSE, SADDLE FOR ONE.
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I used to work a block away from Naples 45, and loved their pizza. It is that thin crispy coal-oven-flavored crust, with tasty cheese and toppings. It is not the generic NY slice that is reheated after sitting out on the counter for god knows how long. Even if it’s not served piping hot, it is several cuts above the generic slices that cost much more. And the choices include slices with toppings (ham, white pizza, veggies, etc.) which delis charge even more for.
Naples 45 is an excellent slice and still a bargain.
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I will be patronizing Naples 45 today purely to spite the whiners.
Cheers! -
As the cheif Griper/Blogger who triggered this recent controversy, let me just say that my point was to simply bring to everyone’s awareness that the late lunch super deal special was no longer there (as originally reported by ML)… so I was merely posting an update informing the reader of what to expect. That said, thought it was fair that I also speak my mind as to the loss in value as a whole. For whatever the reason (eg. high cost of wheat, rise in gas prices, the pathetic-ness of new 90210 tv series, etc, etc, whatever!!!), the fact remains leftover late lunch lukewarm slices should not be priced at $1.90 as well as deemed “acceptable bargain” by the consuming public. More importantly such an item shouldn’t get any attention (yikes, too late) and defended upon the basis of quality ingredients. Price and taste — that’s the formula to keep patrons revisiting. The discounted price is so because the pizza is discounted for a reason. Thus supporters who keep posting about it being a great restaurant and gourmet-style pizza are dancing around the fact that it’s being served basically cold and not fresh. (although, i do agree, it generally is a great place to eat for a nice italian meal in the Grand Central area). But please, resturant owners/chefs please don’t take advantage of the popularity this site brings you. Sincere thanks to the Naples people for reading the post and actually responding… and I’m hoping that after they see how this site’s popularity works in both directions, they will continue their so-called “good will” and reverse the higher-price trend (and maybe even include in the price a 10% donation to a charitable organization or, heck, biofuel research). ;P cheers!
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Jeff, I’m not sure what pizza joint you’re blathering about but you are certainly spreading misinformation to the readers here. Are you a communist?
Starting every week day at 2pm, the Naples crew start pumping out DOZENS of piping hot fresh pies, one after another, for $1.75 per slice. There is nothing “leftover” or “lukewarm” about it. Sure, if you show up at 4:30, you get what’s left thrown back into the oven for a few minutes.
But how is that different from any other pizzeria in Midtown? It ain’t. -
Well DDR, you got it… i was there at 4:30, paid $1.90 for leftover and lukewarm pizza… all true. So I guess it’s up to the readers/consumers to decide if this is a true bargain (or if the bargain window should only be considered from 2 – 2:20). Again, it’s a great dinning establishment, but i’m sorry, the ML Late Lunch “magic” is just not there anymore.. that’s all i’m saying. Yikes, I’m actually bothered that it’s no longer a great deal and voicing my concern… yup, i must be a communist… Ivan Drago rules!!
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DDR, you’re so wrong, it’s almost funny. What happened to Jeff happened to me, not only that, but the atmosphere in Naples cools considerably. You’re telling me that pizza is the main driver of income at Naples? Forget about it, it’s soft drinks and entrees, the pizza just gets you in the door.
It’s no bargain now my friends, I’m boycotting!
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One other thing, Tom and DDR are instigators and not true foodies. They probably troll these kind of blogs and just write tomes of such little class, that they detract from all of our experiences as sharers of good food.
Jeff, where would you suggest we go for better slices in the midtown environs of Naples. Until they return their price, or offer something like a free soda with two slices, I need a new place to visit. Ideas?
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E-Dawg, you did make me laugh but you know not whereof you speak.
Also, when did anyone ever say that “pizza is the main driver of income at Naples”? What are you talking about?
You can’t make this stuff up.
Happy Friday! -
DDR,
I know alot more about the restaurant business than you’ll ever know. Pizza, even if it costs more to import the ingredients is till dough, sauce, cheese and spices. that’s it. You’re telling me it costs more than 15 dollars or so to make a pizza? It’s peasant food, and should probably cost no more than a buck fifty anywhere, since they get you on the toppings as a source of higher profit percentage wise. DDR, percentage is a portion of a whole, ie. 50%.
Just making sure you’re still following me.
You’re Mr. Naples, you’re making the most bang for your buck off salads, pasta heavy entrees and soft drinks which have almost no overhead. The pizza deal, even if it is a loser, brings people in the door, and generates good buzz.
What they did ruined that, and is going to cost them dearly.
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In an effort to be constructive and to show how strange your “reasoning” is, I, too, would like to know where in Midtown I can get a delicious, piping hot & fresh slice of non-leftover pizza with toppings at 4:30 p.m. for under $1.90 including tax.
Thank you. -
There is a place on 3rd between 44th/43rd, that sells decent cheesy slices for .99 cents.
West side of the street my friend.
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E-Dawg, I’m with you 1000% but that comment of pizza as “peasant food”.. Dude!!… it should be considered for it’s own food group on the food pyramid. Show some respect to the food item that has sustained us all for days at a time. But again, you’re right on the money on how this deal is a bust.
All kidding aside, DDS… E-Dawg… can’t we all just get along?!! Pizza, if anything, should always unite, never divide… we all would be wise to take a step back, breathe, and remember the true essence and communial spirit pizza provides. ( Is it happy hour yet?? ;P )
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Boycott!!!!
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Besides, Two Boots downtown is much much better. Try the Bayou Beast slice, it’s like a Cajun crack pipe :)
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DDr has it right. Naples 45 does bring out fresh pies after 2pm for sale at the discount price. I’ve been there many a time and have seen it with my own eyes. And even their ‘older’ slices (if you catch tem) are no different than almost every slice joint in the city, where any non-plain slice is likely to have been sitting out a lot longer than at Naples, waiting to be reheated when sold.
As for the 99-cent reference, there is simply nocomparison. The Naples pizza has fresh mozzarella, etc., and most pies have toppings on them.
Jeff, sorry but you are spreading misinformation here. I picked up many a mid-afternoon slice (or 2 or 3) at Naples. What you allege is simply not true.
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E-Dawg:
“You’re telling me it costs more than 15 dollars or so to make a pizza?”Umm…no, I didn’t mention anything remotely like that. Again, you invent bizarre straw men so that you can knock them down. Strange.
And I think the fact that you claim that 99 cent pizza is better than Naples speaks for itself.
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Tragedy of the Commons my friend DDR? It’s not a Straw Man, I’m merely debunking the Naples stoodge’s line about their price increase.
Not justifiable. And could the 99cent slice be decent? Are you such a pizza snob?
Are you from Ohio or something?
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DDR must be a lawyer.
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…………isn’t this where Joe Pesci stabs someone with a pencil?
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Get you’re friggin shine box!
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your not you’re.
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Boycott!!!
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You can’t just count raw materials in the price of pizza…Don’t you realize how much gas a pizza oven requires through the day? And not only are the ovens on during business hours, they are generally fired up several hours before the place opens because the stones in the ovens have to heat up…Run YOUR oven for 15 hrs a day at 400 degrees and see what happens to your gas bill…
(Disclaimer: I am not a pizza-man though I play one on TV, your mileage may vary, batteries not included, may cause dizziness and/or blurred vision, see a doctor if you erection lasts longer than four hours)
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I saw the lead to this article on Grub Street, and followed it in. I’m a pizzeria owner in Florida, but born and raised in the city. It’s apparent that most who have posted here don’t have a basic understanding of business or economics. The basic ingredients of pizza: flour, cheese, and tomatoes, as well as the basic production element – fuel for oven heat, have skyrocketed. We now pay almost three times as much for those basic components of producing pizza than we did five months ago.
Jeff’s comments that “the fact remains leftover late lunch lukewarm slices should not be priced at $1.90 as well as deemed “acceptable bargain” by the consuming public” is completely naive. All pies made for slice applications are usually par-baked, meaning that they have not been completely cooked. This is so that you, the consumer, can get a slice on demand, so that you don’t have to wait longer than your lunch hour in order to eat, and similar to Belgian Frites, since it’s twice-baked, it’s even crisper than you would be able to get from a just-baked pie……it’s not a ‘left-over’. Oh, and by the way, the comment that a pizza only costs $1.50 to make is completely asinine. When you factor in all the overhead; rent, insurance, licenses, fees, gas, elect, hvac, taxes, labor, garbage, waste, shrinkage, paper goods, advertising / promotion, and amortization of the capital invested in equipment, and any unplanned misadventure (like someone trashing your business on the internet) the cost of the pie balloons. Before we opened our restaurant, we had a food distribution company. The number of restaurant / pizzeria failures every year is astounding, and most are due to cost squeezes, far beyond the control of the owner.
If this owner is discounting slices after the normal noon lunch hour, he is doing a community service. At our place we only sell slices until 2PM, and then, once the restaurant clears, we usually discard any slice pies that we have left over, because we need to prepare for the dinner crowd and it’s not profitable to deal with slices at that point in the day. Despite what some may think, at the end of the day it is a business, and if you fail to conduct your business profitably, you will shortly be out of business.
For the host of this blog to naively disparage a businessman who is attempting to provide a win-win commercial transaction and provide value to consumers who are savvy, is a real injustice. Before you castigate someone, you should have some greater understanding of what it takes to open up, and keep a business running, while providing jobs and a value service for consumers. If you haven’t participated on an equity level in business, you can still legitimately critique any merchant that you have dealt with. But, you should think twice before you shoot.
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give it up Jim! these ppl, like most other naive consumers, don’t give a dime about the plight of you biz people. and they have a right to it… because they ain’t the in business. YOU ARE! so the headaches of running a business (rising costs, labor unions, health department and immigration woes) are solely the problems of the biz-owners, not theirs… because at the end of the day when the biz is profitable, the owners don’t open up their wallets and share the dough with the customers…
it is what it is… so why bother wasting your time explaining… just gotta think of more ways to make more profits… like selling sushi out of your pizza joints!!!
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That’s true, so once oil returns to a less obscene level, do you think prices will come back down, even slightly?
And this is not a pizza parlor, this is a full service restaurant that chages huge markups for beverages/wine/entrees, and uses the pizza to draw in a midtown crowd. Let’s not feel so bad for Naples 45, and their gigantic space, which is left fairly spacious due to a low overall table count.
This BS though about flour and gas costs rising do not amount to what is basically a 25% increase in cost of pizza, since alot of other major costs ie. the rent, the appliances and the staffing costs remain fairly static.
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wow.
shilling + flaming = totally weak thread.
forget the price debate, i’m joining Ignorant in the boycott as a response to all this frigging whining, alone.
to all the pizza pros commenting here, one thing you should learn about the blogosphere (aka the future) is that playing the pity card will get you absolutely nowhere.
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I have bookmarked this page as evidence of my claim that infectious herpes is riddling New Yorkers’ brains as well as their nether-areas.
Their pizza is always room temperature after 2pm…of course, one didn’t mind so much when the cost was only $1.25. But now that it’s $1.75, I’d rather pay the extra 75 cents or so for a warmer crisper slice elsewhere. Like Little Italy.