PHOENIX — Employees at Trevor’s Liquor in Scottsdale are experiencing “the Portnoy effect.”
It is what happens any time the Barstool Sports founder discovers a cheese pizza worth writing home about, or — in Dave Portnoy’s case, worth telling his 8 million followers on X and Instagram. The social media magnate visits pizzerias around the country and rates their pies on a scale of 1 to 10.
“If you can’t hear the crunch in Guatemala, you are not going to get that high seven, low eight range from me,” Portnoy said.
Parker Rosbrook didn’t hear the crunch.
He was hiding in the kitchen, too nervous to join coworkers Friday in the parking lot of Trevor’s Liquor at 36th Street Indian School Road, as Portnoy took a bite. That anxiety melted away once he heard the cheers. Not only was Rosbrook’s pizza good, -- Portnoy said it the best in Scottsdale (even though Portnoy was firmly, firmly in Phoenix).
Cue the Portnoy effect.
“As soon as that post went out, 30 minutes later, line out the door,” said Rosbrook, executive chef at Trevor’s Liquor. “It’s been that way since Friday, Saturday and Sunday.”
You might be wondering what kind of liquor store sells pizza. Trevor’s Liquor is a little different. They have a huge selection of liquor and cigars, but also a bar and restaurant attached to their three locations around Phoenix and Scottsdale.
Portnoy hosted a meet-and-greet at the Indian School location Friday and couldn’t resist sampling their cheese pizza. In a video posted to Instagram, Portnoy holds up a slice and marvels at the pizza’s “undercarriage.”
“Is this how it always comes out or did you cook it for me,” Portnoy asks.
The video has racked up millions of views and Rosbrook said staff is struggling to keep up with the demand that has followed. It’s a good problem for any business.
Rosbrook estimates Trevor’s Liquor has seen a 200 percent increase in pizza sales. They sold 500 pies at each location Saturday and went through 1,500 pounds of fresh mozzarella, which they pull by hand each day. Dough is also made from scratch. Rosbrook spent 2 years developing his recipe and technique.
“It has a lot to do with our flour that we use and our dough recipe and the way we cook it,” Rosbrook said.
He only uses local flour from Hayden Flour Mills in Queen Creek. Rosbrook said it gives the pizza a unique flavor.
“We actually had to get a second delivery this week because we were running out,” Rosbrook said.
This cheese pizza is not a traditional Neapolitan style, which is cooked at a high temperature very quickly. Rosbrook cooks his pizza lower and slower — 5 to 6 minutes at 700 degrees inside a roaring pizza oven fueled by gas and pecan wood.
He can fit six pizzas in the oven at a time, and following Portnoy’s post, those ovens have been full.
“I would be lying if I said it is not a challenge,” Rosbrook said. “But we are managing.”
In the end, Portnoy gave the pizza at Trevor’s Liquor an 8.3 /10. Earlier in the day, he visited Andiamo Pizza in Scottsdale — they received an 8.2/10. The Portnoy effect was still being felt there on Sunday, as some customers waited an hour for their pizzas.
Trevor’s Liquor posted on Instagram thanking Portnoy and all the new and old faces that have stopped by for a pizza.
“Due to such high demand, there will be times where we just can’t pull cheese and make dough fast enough. Simply put… when we’re out, we’re out” they posted.
“A lot of trial and error to get to where we are today,” Rosbrook said. “But it sounds like we have found the right recipe.”