Inflation claims another victim: the $1 NYC pizza slice

The times, they are a-changin’.

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One of New York’s last remaining pizza places to offer a $1 slice has raised its price.

On March 20, New York City-focused website EV Grieve shared the news that dollar slice eatery 2 Bros. Pizza had quietly raised the price of their plain slice from $1 to $1.50 at its original 32 St. Mark’s Place location.

Customers eating a #1 slice at a 2 Bros. Pizza location in 2016.Jeff Greenberg / Getty Images

This location, which is on an iconic Manhattan thoroughfare in the East Village neighborhood, is known for its large signage advertising pizza prices.

These storefront ads, like many other dollar slice places in the city, are a mainstay in New York's many sidewalk shops, so for many New Yorkers this change comes as a sad shock.

“Now, on St. Mark’s, you can get two cheese slices and a can of soda for $3.99, up a buck from before,” said John Elsasser, the author behind EV Grieve, adding that a reader spotted the sign change the previous weekend.

2 Bros. Pizza did not immediately respond to TODAY.com’s multiple requests for comment.

Still, co-owners of 2 Bros. Oren Halali and Eli Halali, who have 7 locations in the five boroughs, have spoken frankly about the challenges they face in the face of rising costs of the ingredients that make that iconic New York slice.

“Over the past few years, we had done everything in our power to keep the cheese slices at $1 while refusing to compromise on our quality,” Eli Halali told the New York Post March 20. “We were no longer able to break even.”

While the demand for pizza actually skyrocketed during the lockdown, the pandemic’s resulting inflation affected prices of everything from tomato paste to paper products like plates, cardboard boxes and bags. All the while, resulting price hikes across the supply chain have been trickling all the way down to the humble slice. 

“Inflation is affecting every single ingredient, every single item we use. Flour, cheese, tomatoes, gloves, paper goods, paper plates, napkins. Everything. Labor is definitely up, as well,” Oren Halali told the New York Post in November 2021. 

Additionally, the New York Times reported in December 2021 that other $1 pizza shops in New York including 99 Cent Fresh Pizza and Champion Pizza were trying to hold on to that low price as long as they could, but many have since had to raise prices to continue operating.

Customers line up for a $1 slice at a 2 Bros. Pizza location in 2016.Richard Levine / Getty Images

Reaction to the raised prices of the St. Mark’s place staple ranged from disappointment to understanding, with some folks online noting the price change was a just sign of the times.

“2 Bros Pizza on St. Marks Pl is $1.50 now lol scary times,” wrote one user on Twitter.

“No more $1 slices at 2 Bros Pizza, those slices used to come in clutch,” wrote another user with a smiling face with tear emoji. They’re clearly wistful, but thankful for the memories, it seems.