Back of the House

The $4 Di Fara Slice: We Break It Down

Dom De Marco: not in it for the money.
Dom De Marco: not in it for the money.

Dom De Marco raised the price of a Di Fara’s slice to $4, and Chowhounders are aghast, reports Slice’s Adam Kuban. But do the accusations of making a quick buck lobbed against the Saint of Avenue J have any merit? We did a little research into the cost of ingredients at Di Fara and confirmed our suspicion that De Marco doesn’t make much money.

A quick Google shopping expedition, supplemented by a call to the Bari Pork Store in Bensonhurst, confirmed what we suspected about Dom’s basic food costs. 1 can San Marzano tomatoes: $2.99
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese: $13.99 per pound
1 container Campagnan mozzarella di bufala: $10
Low-moisture Grande mozzarella: $4.99 per pound
Imported 00 flour: $2.19 per pound
Colavita olive oil: $59.99 per three-liter tin

Now let’s assume that Dom is getting wholesale prices from a supplier he’s been using for many years, so it’s less than these standard prices. The slice already costs $3 just for the food cost of the quarter-pound of Reggiano he throws upon it! And that’s not even getting into the cost of electricity, rent, batteries for Eisenhower-era radio to play opera music, a broom to sweep the store with once every 36 hours, checked shirts with flour stains on them, and eyeglasses to peep at troublesome customers through. Or for that matter, having pizzas that are made one at a time, so the total volume of product is a fraction of what standard pizzerias, using dirt-cheap ingredients, produce. All in all, we are more convinced than ever that $4 a slice is very little to pay for the best pizza ever made.

Di Fara Slice Up to $4! [Slice NY]

The $4 Di Fara Slice: We Break It Down