The NYC $1 Pizza Slice Is Back. Why That Means More Than You Think
Many New Yorkers still believe there's nothing better than a hot dollar slice, folded and eaten ... More curbside—Seamless is reviving New York's most iconic food ritual for a limited time.
New York's most iconic food ritual—the hot, foldable $1 cheese slice—is making a comeback. For a limited time, Seamless is bringing back the once-ubiquitous deal through a campaign that runs April 22 through May 20, giving city dwellers a shot at five cheese slices for a buck each per day at over 40 participating shops across the boroughs.
It's a digital-only pickup promotion, but it's a physical kind of comfort: grab a slice from local spots like Luigi's, 2 Bros., or Rocco Pizza, and you're right back in that memory—eating curbside, slice folded, grease on the napkin.
And that's the point.
Once considered a daily staple and a symbol of the city's democratic deliciousness, the $1 slice had largely vanished by 2022. Pandemic-era rent hikes, inflation, and supply chain chaos forced most pizzerias to raise prices or shut down entirely. The 'dollar slice' didn't just go away—it became shorthand for everything we lost when costs rose, and the simple, small joys got edged out.
Seamless, which started in New York, is playing directly into that nostalgia. 'The $1 slice is more than just pizza—it's part of the city's DNA,' said Grubhub CEO Howard Migdal in the announcement. The campaign isn't just about affordability—it's an emotional calibration. It's a reminder of what we miss and maybe what we still want to believe is possible.
There's a cleverness to how it's packaged—digital access only, one redemption per day, five slices max—designed to nudge us into pickup routines while softly rebranding Seamless as the place to go back to basics.
Here's how to score five $1 slices a day—no delivery, no gimmicks, just classic NYC comfort.
From April 22 through May 20, Seamless is bringing back New York's legendary $1 cheese slice as part of a limited-time promotion across all five boroughs.
With tomato prices set to rise and cheap eats disappearing, the return of the dollar slice hits ... More deeper than nostalgia.
The return of the $1 slice isn't just a marketing stunt. It lands in a moment when food prices still feel unstable—where even the most basic ingredients are increasingly politicized and priced out.
Since 2022, pizza slices have quietly become a barometer for broader economic strain in New York. What used to be a $1 staple is now closer to $3 or $4 in most neighborhoods, and that jump didn't happen because of better cheese or sourdough crust—it was inflation, rent, labor, and supply chain shocks, all stacked on top of each other.
And this summer, the tension isn't letting up. On April 14, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced its intent to withdraw from the 2019 Suspension Agreement on Fresh Tomatoes from Mexico, meaning that starting July 14, most imported tomatoes will face a 20.91% duty. It's a move designed to protect U.S. growers from dumping, but the ripple effect is likely to be felt on every pizza slice, salad bar, and fast-casual bowl where tomatoes show up.
So when a cheese slice goes back to $1—even temporarily—it hits a deeper nerve. It's not just about price; it's about predictability. A way to reestablish trust with consumers who've spent the last few years watching their grocery bills fluctuate, their cheap meals vanish, and their eating habits evolve out of necessity—not choice.
In a time when even burger passes can be seen as an affordability tool and fast food rumors spark viral meltdowns, the $1 slice hits different. It's not just a product—it's a promise.
The $1 slice promotion feels like something solid. Something remembered. And in this economy, that's more than a deal—it's a kind of relief.
Because in a city where everything costs more, the return of something that once felt automatic—cheap, hot, enough—isn't just a deal. It's a moment of collective memory.
And right now, that's worth at least a dollar.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
NYers reveal how they feel about Airbnb in new poll
A majority of New Yorkers don't want to give Airbnb access to the Big Apple's housing market, a new poll says. The survey, paid for by the Airbnb rival Hotel Gaming and Trades Council and obtained by The Post, found that while the home-share-app giant recently funneled $5 million into a super PAC to influence Big Apple elections, 56% of city residents want nothing to do with the short-term-rental system. 3 Home-sharing short-term rental app Airbnb wants to come back to the Big Apple with few restraints, but a majority of New Yorkers say otherwise, a new poll says. Bloomberg via Getty Images 'New Yorkers are not falling for Airbnb's lies,' said Whitney Hu, director of civic engagement and research at Churches United for Fair Housing. 'The vast majority of families are struggling to stay in their homes, and they want politicians who will pass legislation that makes our city more affordable, not less,' she said. 3 A $1 million ad paid for by Airbnb urges New Yorkers to oppose three mayoral candidates who have called for stifling it. Youtube/ Affordable New York Of the residents surveyed in the HTC, 38% said they supported Airbnb in the city, while 6% remained unsure. The numbers appeared to be non-partisan, with 57% of Democrats and 58% of Republicans opposing the short stays. Concerns among the city dwellers centered on the housing crisis — with more than 80% of respondents expressing worry about a diminished regular housing supply with the short-term rentals. Airbnb suffered a major blow in 2023 when the City Council passed Local Law 18 — effectively banning the home-share app involving any apartment where the current tenant or owner wasn't present. Late last year, a bill aiming to revive the app's short-term rental market was introduced and sponsored by a slew of City Council members of varying progressive leanings, including Speaker Adrienne Adams. Since then, Airbnb opened a $5 million super PAC — Affordable New York — in which it donated more than $2.1 million to support the campaigns of 13 candidates for public office, including 11 for city council. The tech giant has also spent $1 million on an opposition ad against mayoral candidates Zohran Mamdani, Brad Lander and Scott Stringer — all of whom are progressive but want heavy restrictions on Airbnb in the city. 3 A major hotel-industry group paid for the poll. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Though the ad that aired earlier this month did not endorse any candidates, it promoted the interests of frontrunner candidate former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The move was a puzzling nod to a candidate who is endorsed by the HTC, which directly opposes and competes with Airbnb. 'As governor, Andrew Cuomo took action against unregulated short-term rentals, and he's promised to continue to stand up for tenants and workers as mayor,' noted HTC Political Director Bhav Tibrewal in a statement to Politico earlier this month. 'If Airbnb thinks it's a flex to publicly light their money on fire, we're happy to not stand in their way on this one,' he said. Airbnb policy chief Michael Blaustein said, 'Regular New Yorkers deserve the same rights as all Americans – renting their home when they're away for short periods. 'A broad coalition of homeowners and small businesses are behind common-sense changes to the city's strict short-term rental rules that will allow New Yorkers to share their home without taking a single unit off the long-term housing market,' he said.
New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
Saucy billboards touting out-of-state pizza as ‘nation's best' get NYers coal-fired up
Connecticut is taking a bite out of the Big Apple. The Constitution State is trolling New York pizza in a series billboards that have popped up in Manhattan and Brooklyn this month — leaving locals wondering if someone out there has pepperoni for brains. Messages in the 'rage bait' marketing campaign from the Connecticut Office of State Marketing and Tourism have run in Brooklyn and Manhattan with messages like 'Connecticut Pizza Wins. NYC Takes The L' and 'The Nation's Best Pizza. Not You, New York.' 3 A 'rage bait' marketing campaign from the Connecticut Office of State Marketing and Tourism have run with messages like 'Connecticut Pizza Wins. NYC Takes The L' and 'The Nation's Best Pizza. Not You, New York.' 'This is the kind of playful rivalry that brings people together around a bigger table and puts our pizza culture front and center,' Anthony M. Anthony, chief marketing officer for the state of Connecticut, said in a statement. But locals in the Big Apple Wednesday said Connecticut can fuggedabout playing nice when it comes to which state is the slice king. 'Bull—t! You wanna get good pizza? Go to Staten Island,' Ceasar Castelo, 65, told The Post while munching on a slice from 2 Bros Pizza in Midtown Manhattan. 'Go to Arthur Avenue: Half Moon Pizza,' another patron, George Gracia, 57, offered as proof of the Big Apple's superior slice. Joey Schirripa, 43, who manages John's of Bleeker in Greenwich Village, argued that while pizza from both states are very similar — coal-fired and sold by the pie — a New York slice is a step above because it focuses more on cheese than sauce in each bite. 'It's good but I don't think it's better than ours,' Schirripa said. 'We feel like our pizza is much more flavorful.' 3 'We feel like our pizza is much more flavorful,' Joey Schirripa (center), manager of John's of Bleeker in Greenwich Village, says about New York pizza, which he thinks is a step above due to its focus on more cheese than sauce. Similar campaigns were launched in rival destinations in Chicago, Detroit and New Jersey, the Connecticut's tourism office said. The signs prompt people to visit or call 1-844-CTPIZZA to share 'why you think New York pizza is second best — or, if you're feeling bold, admit that Connecticut might just be No. 1.' 'This isn't about being subtle—we're telling the world we're the best,' Anthony added. 'Connecticut's pizza legacy doesn't need a spotlight. We just turned it on so everyone else could see it. The quality, the taste, the diversity—our pizza speaks for itself—has for generations—and we invite the world to experience it for themselves.' But many New Yorkers said they aren't traveling up north for a pizza any way you slice it. Kevin Juarez, 21, busses at Lombardi's in Little Italy and thinks it's too much to trek to New Haven and risk eating a lousy slice. 'I mean, for it to be two hours from here is a bit risky,' Juarez said. 'You never know, you could go and it could be a waste of money.' 3 'You wanna get good pizza? Go to Staten Island,' Ceasar Castelo told The Post while munching on a slice from 2 Bros Pizza in Midtown Manhattan. Julian Kurhajec, 21, said Connecticut should promote travel to the state with something besides pizza. 'I'll drive there and I'll see New York-style pizza. That says it all,' Kurhajec said. But one person having lunch in the city Wednesday afternoon sprinted to the defense of the Nutmeg State's pizza: a Connecticut resident. 'Just everything about [our pizza] is perfect,' said Connecticut resident LG Glaspey, 19. 'It's nice and crispy. It has a nice little smoky flavor, but it's still fresh.' But Glaspey's fellow out-of-towner, Jack Carew, 27, wasn't as enthusiastic. 'Coffee, pizza: to me they're all the same,' Carew said. You can visit the saucy billboards at the following locations: 9th Avenue & 40th Street (Hudson Yards) 260 Moore St. (East Williamsburg) 202 Mott St. (NoLita) 200 W 50th St. (Times Square) 445 6th Ave. (Greenwich Village) Subway 'liveboards' of the NYC pizza roast can be found here: 34th Street-Herald Square Station 14th Street-Union Square Station 59th Street-Columbus Circle Station Fulton Street (Financial District) Nevins Street (Downtown Brooklyn) Times Square-42nd Street
Politico
2 days ago
- Politico
Bloomberg pours more cash into Cuomo super PAC, bringing his total contribution to $8.3M
NEW YORK — Mike Bloomberg's vast wealth is continuing to power Andrew Cuomo's front-running mayoral bid. The billionaire former mayor contributed $3.3 million to a super PAC supporting Cuomo's attempted comeback in the nation's largest city — a donation made public on Wednesday that comes just days after Bloomberg gave $5 million to the group. With the latest gift, Bloomberg is now single-handedly responsible for one-third of the PAC's total haul of $24 million since it launched in March, according to a POLITICO analysis. Other real estate and finance executives who make up New York's monied elite, including billionaire Donald Trump supporter Bill Ackman, have poured cash into the group. A spokesperson for the super PAC, which is called Fix the City, did not comment on Bloomberg's latest contribution. The money — and the flood of mailers and TV ads funded by it — indicate Cuomo supporters are nervous about the rise of his principal opponent, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani. The state lawmaker has been running a strong second to the ex-governor in most polls; a Marist College survey on Wednesday found Cuomo would defeat Mamdani after seven rounds of ranked-choice voting, 55 percent to 45 percent. But early voting is high in some neighborhoods that would appear to benefit Mamdani, and temperatures are expected to hit 100 degrees next Tuesday, which could suppress turnout among older New Yorkers Cuomo is counting on. Likely motivating Bloomberg, who had a rivalry with the former governor during their overlapping tenures, are Mamdani's far-left politics and criticism of Israel. He wants to raise taxes on the rich to pay for services like free bus fare and as recently as this week, refused to criticize the phrase 'globalize the Intifada,' calling it an expression of Palestinian rights. The former mayor endorsed Cuomo last week, and called him the 'one candidate whose management experience and government know-how stand above the others.' Cuomo is 67 and worked in and around government and politics his entire career; Mamdani is 33 and counters criticisms of his thin résumé with reminders of the scandals that drove Cuomo from office. The super PAC has been a significant source of support for the ex-governor, who is considered the favorite to win next Tuesday's Democratic primary despite tightening polls. The group has spent more than $14.8 million on TV ads — including a $5.4 million spot slamming Mamdani — according to media tracking firm AdImpact. The super PAC, which is subject to higher ad rates than campaigns, has easily outspent Cuomo's rivals and is the best-funded PAC ever to play a role in municipal elections in New York City.
