A Miami pizzeria received Dave Portnoy’s seal of approval before it started getting bad reviews after a copycat delivered disgusting pizzas.
Roman’s Pizzeria received a 7.4 rating from the founder of Barstool Sports in April 2022, a feat that should have brought owner Jesus Roman tons of positive reviews and new customers.
Instead, he brought in just an impersonator who handed out flyers at Miami Springs hotels, leading tourists to place orders at what they thought was a famous pie shop, only to be disappointed when undercooked pizzas turned up.
After years of shenanigans, Roman finally went to police and Jose Marti-Alvarez, 55, of Miami Gardens, was arrested on one count of aggravated assault after he fled from “hotel staff in his vehicle and struck a staff member” and for an organized scheme to defraud. police saying.
In April 2022, the founder of Barstool Sports rated Roman’s Pizzeria a 7.4, a feat that should have brought owner Jesus Roman (pictured) tons of positive reviews and new customers.
Jose Marti-Alvarez, 55, of Miami Gardens, was arrested for impersonating the famous pizza restaurant
“The food he delivered was often undercooked, incorrect or fraudulently priced, damaging the reputation of the real Roman’s Pizzeria,” the Miami Springs Police Department said.
‘This fraud has been going on for several years, causing significant hardship for Roman’s Pizzeria itself, including complaints to the Better Business Bureau, negative reviews and upset customers.’
Roman, who has been in the business for four decades, told Local 10 that sometimes angry customers would “show up upset” and ask where their food was.
“We have to explain to them that it’s not us,” he told the outlet. “At least, if they’re going to do something, do it right,” he said of Martí-Álvarez.
Marti-Alvarez handed out flyers (pictured) at Miami Springs hotels, prompting tourists to place orders at what they believed to be a famous pie shop, only to be disappointed when undercooked pies turned up.
Marti-Alvarez “distributed fake pizza flyers in hotel rooms” on Northwest 36th Street near Miami International Airport and often delivered “bad” and “raw” pizza, police and Roman said.
“Sometimes they would send them in a box with a piece of raw dough,” Román said of Martí-Álvarez’s pies. “They would just give them to you and before you knew it, they were gone.”
On Monday, Marti-Alvarez faced Miami-Dade Judge Mindy Glazer, who ordered him to stay away from the Days Inn on 36th Street.
The 55-year-old’s lawyer is seeking to dismiss the assault charge as his client claims he “left the area quickly and did not think he had hit her with the car because he understood he was not supposed to be handing out pizza flyers at the hotel.”
However, he upheld the charge and set bail at $5,000. Bail for the other charge has not yet been set.
He is currently being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
In April 2022, Portnoy reviewed Roman’s Pizzeria, giving it a high score of 7.4 and saying the crust alone was a 7.8.
“I actually think this looks pretty good,” Portnoy said before taking his first bite.
Portnoy said the crust was the highlight and liked that the pizza was “super fresh” and “super light.”
“I realized this is a New York pizza,” he said after trying it. Roman, originally from Cuba, lived in Queens, New York, before moving to Miami Springs.
The controversial One Bite host said the crust was the “most spectacular” thing and liked that the pizza was “super fresh” and “super light.”