When Daniel Romano saw an elderly woman pull half a pizza out of his pizzeria’s trash can, he couldn’t look away.
He walked over, threw the discarded slice back into the garbage and handed her a fresh one instead. She started crying, but Romano had only one response: “Don’t cry. Eat.”
That moment inspired the handwritten sign hanging in the window of D’Romano’s Pizza on East Tremont Avenue stating: “To the people eating out of the garbage, I have more love for you than you think. Please tell me if you’re hungry, I will give you a slice of pizza.”
The sign has also brought new customers through the door, many of whom said they stopped by after seeing it online.
“We’ve had some beautiful people come in,” Romano said. “Every day is a little busier.”
But feeding people in need isn’t a marketing strategy for Romano. It’s a philosophy that has guided him through 45 years in the pizza business.
Romano got his start at just 10 years old, working alongside his father at the famed Yolanda’s restaurant on East 149th Street in the South Bronx. Long before he owned his own restaurants, he said he would buy meals for hungry customers out of his own pocket whenever an employer refused to give away food.
He later opened two Long Island restaurants—Frankie’s East Side and Frankie’s East Side Gourmet—before retiring at age 50.
Retirement, however, was short-lived.
After Romano lost both of his parents within a month of each other, he decided to get back in the business. He spent two years in retirement before deciding to open his own pizzeria again, taking over the East Tremont Avenue storefront in January and reopening it after a complete renovation earlier this year.
“My mother had a saying that always stuck with me: a desperate person will always make a better decision on a full stomach than on an empty one,” Romano said.
Many pizzerias have occupied the storefront at 3579 E. Tremont Ave. over the years, but Romano has tried to create more than just another neighborhood pizza shop. Alongside classic New York slices, Walgreens Pizza serves specialty offerings such as a vodka slice or gluten-free options, menu items not commonly found in nearby Throggs Neck pizzerias.
During a Bronx Times visit, customers streamed in and out of the restaurant. Several greeted Romano by name, while children stopped to give him a high-five before heading out the door.
“I give love to my customers because without them, there’s no me,” Romano said. “I’ve always loved giving back to the community.”
Despite spending 12- to 13-hour days at the pizzeria, Romano has built an unexpected second career in entertainment.
Eight years ago, a film crew asked to shoot a movie in one of his Long Island restaurants, giving him his first acting role. Since then, he has appeared in 11 independent films, won Best Actor at the Corona Film Festival for his role in “The Streets” and hosts “The Dan Romano Show,” a YouTube talk show where he has interviewed entertainers and public figures, including actor Eric Roberts.
Romano has also spent the past four years judging the New Jersey Super Pizza Bowl, founded by Guy Madsen, the creator of New Jersey Pizza Joints. This year, he said, he’ll select one Bronx pizzeria to compete against some of New Jersey’s top pizza makers— and he intends to bring the prize home for the Bronx.
Despite his work in film and entertainment, Romano says the pizzeria is where he belongs. After trying retirement, he found himself missing the long hours, the conversations with customers and, most importantly, the opportunity to help people.
For Romano, the sign in the window was never about going viral. It was about making sure no one has to eat out of a garbage can.
“If we throw away so much anyway,” he said, “why not feed people?”
Reach Marina Samuel at msamuel@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
