Point Pleasant Beach, NJ – Joey Tomatoes has built a reputation as one of the Jersey Shore’s busiest boardwalk pizza destinations, drawing long lines despite charging roughly $42 to $45 for a large pizza and offering a popular pizza-and-pitcher special that has become part of the summer experience in Point Pleasant Beach.
While they charge high amounts to tourists on the boardwalk, one tourist didn’t get buy into the hype. One Bite Pizza’s Dave Portnoy gave the pizzeria a ‘boardwalk pizza’ score of 6.9 while visiting in 2024.
Now the restaurant is at the center of a social media firestorm after a video showing a confrontation between the owner and a family celebrating a 5-year-old’s birthday spread online. Days after the video began circulating, Joey Tomatoes has not publicly addressed the incident, a strategy that could allow the controversy to fade—or leave unanswered questions for customers wondering what happened.
The restaurant’s silence comes just a few years after Dave Portnoy featured Joey Tomatoes on his wildly popular One Bite Pizza Reviews, where he awarded the pizza a 6.9 (adjusted for his ‘boardwalk pizza scale’) score while acknowledging it serves a very specific purpose on the Jersey Shore, drunken pizza you eat at 2 am after a night out at the TikiBar.
Portnoy called it classic late-night boardwalk pizza
During his visit, Portnoy admitted he wasn’t expecting gourmet pizza when ordering from a boardwalk pizzeria.
“I think when you do boardwalk pizza, people say beach pizza, boardwalk pizza, get the boardwalk, Jersey Shore, the heart of it,” Portnoy said before taking his first bite.
After sampling the pizza, he said it was “exactly what I think boardwalk pizza would be.”
Rather than comparing it with artisan pizzerias, Portnoy evaluated it through the lens of what customers are looking for after spending the day—or night—on the boardwalk.
“Are they open till 2 a.m.? If it’s open late, it ain’t great—that’s like the number one slogan for it,” Portnoy joked.
He described Joey Tomatoes as “drunk pizza” and “grease pizza,” suggesting it serves its purpose best after a late night along the Jersey Shore rather than during the middle of the afternoon.
“I still think it’s better than you expect,” Portnoy said before awarding the pizza a 6.9.
He later added, “I actually thought it was going to be worse… it’s open till 2 a.m. That’s not that bad.”
For many boardwalk pizza shops, a 6.9 from Portnoy is considered a respectable score, particularly for establishments catering to beach crowds rather than traditional pizzeria enthusiasts.
Premium prices and Portnoy’s review haven’t slowed business, but cakegate might
Despite Portnoy’s description of the pizza as quintessential late-night boardwalk fare, Joey Tomatoes continues attracting large crowds throughout the summer season.
Large specialty pizzas regularly approach the mid-$40 range, placing the restaurant among the more expensive pizza options on the Jersey Shore.
Supporters argue customers aren’t simply paying for pizza but for a meal on one of New Jersey’s busiest boardwalks, where seasonal demand, oceanfront rents and heavy foot traffic often translate into higher menu prices.
The restaurant’s location has helped make it a destination for beachgoers looking for a sit-down meal after spending the day along the boardwalk.
Birthday celebration turns into viral confrontation
The latest controversy began after the Vintage Jersey Facebook page shared a video showing an argument between a family and the restaurant’s owner.
According to the person who submitted the video, the family purchased four large pizzas with assorted toppings and five large beverages, spending approximately $250 while celebrating a 5-year-old nephew’s birthday.
The family claims they called Joey Tomatoes before arriving and were told bringing a birthday cake would be permitted.
After finishing their meal, they said they asked for a knife to cut the cake and even offered to pay an additional cake-cutting fee.
According to the post, the owner’s reaction prompted them to begin recording what they described as “the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced.”
Because the recording begins after the disagreement had already started, it does not capture what was said before cameras were turned on.
Owner disputes family’s account
In the video, the restaurant owner tells the family they failed to make proper arrangements before bringing the cake into the restaurant.
“You didn’t call, you didn’t make arrangements, you just can’t walk into a restaurant, do whatever you want,” the owner says. “It’s inappropriate… We’ve been here since 1990. Nobody’s ever done that. It’s inappropriate. It’s a restaurant.”
A member of the family responds, “It’s a 5-year-old birthday party. It’s a 5-year-old birthday party. We just want to cut the cake.”
The owner continues defending the restaurant’s position.
“How about if I just come to your house with a cake and do whatever I want?… These customers have been here for 20 years. No one embarrassed in anything. You’re embarrassed.”
The customer replies, “You should be apologizing to us.”
Social media sharply divided
The video has generated thousands of views and hundreds of comments, with viewers split over who was responsible for the confrontation.
Some commenters criticized the owner’s handling of the situation.
“Sorry ma’am you just lost a lot of customers,” one commenter wrote.
Another added, “Imagine being this mad over a cake?”
Others defended the restaurant, noting that many establishments prohibit outside food or require advance notice and charge cake-cutting fees.
“There is a rule that if you bring a cake to the restaurant you have them cut it and serve it for a fee. This isn’t out of the ordinary,” one commenter wrote.
Others cautioned viewers against rushing to judgment because the recording begins after the dispute had already escalated.
“If there is one thing the internet has taught me, it’s to never trust a video that was started halfway into an argument,” another commenter wrote.
That missing context has become one of the central points in the debate. While the family maintains they received permission before arriving, the owner states on camera that no such arrangements were made.
As of Monday, Joey Tomatoes has not publicly responded to the allegations or issued a statement addressing the viral video. Whether remaining silent helps the controversy fade or fuels additional criticism remains to be seen, but for now, the Point Pleasant Beach pizzeria is finding itself discussed as much for a birthday cake dispute as for the late-night boardwalk pizza that earned a 6.9 from Dave Portnoy.
