“I couldn’t deal with the chaos anymore.”
Chicagoans have farseeing history of gettingfired up about pizza , but thanks to a late pizza fete debacle , they ’re getting “ Fyred ” up over it too . In this example , though , the controversy is less about squabbling over the merits of deep - dish , and more about a pizza festival fiasco — mired in mischance and chaotic crowds — that lead to a flurry of social media fury and biting hashtags like # coalfyrefestival , # garbagefest , and most oft , # shitshow .
So what exactly happen here that turnedThe Salt Shedinto a veritableGreat Exumaover this preceding weekend ? It ’s all center around the innocuous - soundingPizza City Fest , a concept that — on newspaper publisher — sounds like a bullseye in a pizza pie - loving Ithiel Town like Chicago . The job , though , was that it all was soon muck in what sounds like logistical nightmares , overpriced tickets , and impossibly foresighted lines . It also does n’t help that Steve Dolinsky , one of the most polarizing figures in the Chicago dining scene , was at its epicenter , tear a Billy McFarland by seemingly overpromising and under - delivering .
A longtime TV journalist on the local food beat , masquerading as The Hungry Hound and signing framed picture for restaurants whether they require it or not , Dolinsky pivoted in more of a pizza - specific management of late , runningpizza tours in Chicago , authoring apizza script , and host apizza podcast . Naturally , the next extension of his pizza brand name was Pizza City Fest , which debut at Plumbers Union Hall in 2022 . Despite some hiccough , it was apparently successful enough to guarantee a soph effort : a two - Clarence Shepard Day Jr. pizza festival in a splashy new location , where attendees could try out different pizza styles from 40 vendor , include lauded restaurants Vito & Nick ’s and Bungalow by Middlebrow , coupled with panelist , live medicine , and all - you - can - drink booze options , all for $ 95 per tag . Sounds merriment in possibility , but if the societal media backlash is any indication , that theory did n’t trash out .
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The resulting hot proceeds have been spicy than soppressata . On Instagram , posts fromPizza City Festhave been flood with angry client decrying chaotic crowd and bottlenecked line that made it unimaginable to await for more than a few slices . Users lay claim Pizza City erase posts , to assist mask the mayhem , while others name the event as a incubus , with line that took 30 - 45 minutes to snag a single slash , and a complete lack of organization . One exploiter allege “ I ’d rather stay home and order pizza pie than attend a pizza city poop show . ” Another : “ Lol , if you are move to charge bonkers prices you well be able-bodied to render . ” And another : “ go out after 3 piece because I could n’t deal with the topsy-turvydom anymore . ” On Reddit , aPizza City Fest Chicagothread has not been much kind , with more reverberation of “ shit show ” and overpriced tickets , and one commenterexpressing hopefor a future Netflix special .
Seasoned Chicago intellectual nourishment writer Michael Nagrant had perchance the spiciest take of all , which you could read on his SubstackThe Hunger . He writes extensively about the event in a postal service call “ Pizza Fest Has No Sauce ” and expresses dismay for client who felt dupe and vendors who felt used , and even hint that Mayor Brandon Johnson look into the fete ’s consumer complaints .
“ seller and restaurant should also review their FOMO about collaborate with the Hound , ” Nagrants writes . “ Unless of course they just love the Fyre . ”
