Have You Eaten Yet?

Prince Street Pizza VS. Racist Allegations: Featuring Joe Rosenthal

January 02, 2021 Kassata Bollman Episode 10
Have You Eaten Yet?
Prince Street Pizza VS. Racist Allegations: Featuring Joe Rosenthal
Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

Today my guest is Joe Rosenthal.

He joins us from Minnesota. 

Joe is the man behind https://www.richardeaglespoon.com/

The philosophy behind his website is to inspire people to be less stressed about cooking, and at the same time, empower them to make better food.

Today we’re discussing Prince Street Pizza which is both a NY and LA based pizzeria.

They’re at the center of an Instagram post that Joe created, which is titled  
“Restaurateurs on Social Being Racist.”

The pizzeria is accused of some highly racist behavior. 

You can find the post here: https://www.instagram.com/joe_rosenthal/





https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsxzx6an6DeVHLcIfN05MUg


https://www.tiktok.com/@haveyoueatenyetpodcast


https://www.instagram.com/haveyoueatenyetpodcast/?hl=en

[[MUSIC]]


I’M KASSATA BOLLMAN. 

TODAY MY GUEST IS JOE ROSENTHAL.

HE JOINS US FROM MINNESOTA. 


JOE IS THE MAN BEHIND THE WEBSITE RICHARD-EAGLE-SPOON-DOT-COM….

THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND RICHARD EAGLESPOON IS TO INSPIRE PEOPLE TO BE LESS STRESSED ABOUT COOKING, AND AT THE SAME TIME, EMPOWER THEM TO MAKE BETTER FOOD.


RICHARD EAGLESPOON STARTED AS A NAME THAT JOE MADE UP FOR A LOCATION TAG…. TO USE ON INSTAGRAM. 


THE PHOTOS ON THERE…. WERE JUST MEALS THAT HE & HIS WIFE COOKED... BUT PEOPLE KEPT THINKING THAT RICHARD EAGLESPOON WAS A REAL RESTAURANT. 

JOE LEANED IN….. & DEVELOPED A RESTAURANT WEBSITE...THERE’S EVEN A FICTIONALIZED ORIGIN STORY ON THE SITE. 


THE RESTAURANT WEBSITE SAT, MOSTLY UN-TOUCHED…. BUT THEN JOE ENDED UP WRITING A GIFT GUIDE,....AND SO THE FAKE RESTAURANT WEBSITE…. GREW A REAL BLOG SECTION….AND THE REST IS HISTORY.


..…...SO I’LL START BY ASKING…..AS WE ALWAYS DO….JOE….  “HAVE YOU EATEN YET?” AND IF YOU HAVE….WHAT DID YOU EAT TODAY?


[[JOE DISCUSSES]]


SO I WANT TO START BY GIVING A QUICK SECONDARY INTRO ABOUT JOE…

JOE YOU’RE A MATHEMATICIAN & YOUR WIFE IS A COMPUTER SCIENCE PROFESSOR.


YOU WORK ON DEVELOPING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS…. FOR IMPROVING CANCER DIAGNOSTICS…..THOUGH RECENTLY YOUR WORK HAS SHIFTED TO INCLUDE MODELING COVID-19. 

YOUR PHD WAS FOCUSED ON BUILDING PREDICTIVE MODELS RELATED TO ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE.


JOE, YOUR PROFESSION SOUNDS FASCINATING….I KNOW YOU’RE NOT ABLE TO COMMENT ON YOUR COVID WORK AT THIS TIME...BUT CAN YOU GIVE US SOME GENERAL INSIGHT …..ABOUT THE PROCESS IN CREATING THESE MODELS…. PERHAPS BY DISCUSSING YOUR PHD WORK ?



[[JOE DISCUSSES]]





PRINCE STREET PIZZA:


SO JOE THE REASON THAT I DID A SECONDARY INTRO WITH YOU ABOUT YOUR JOB IS TO DRIVE HOME THE POINT THAT YOU ARE AN EMPLOYED PERSON & YOU’RE NOT OPERATING A GOSSIP WEBSITE …..WITH THE INTENTION OF TAKING DOWN RESTAURANTS…... & GENERATING REVENUE FROM THAT.


I SAY THIS BECAUSE WE’RE ABOUT TO DISCUSS A POST FROM YOUR INSTAGRAM….

THAT ACCUSES A RESTAURANT OF SOME HIGHLY RACIST BEHAVIOR….. AND I WANT TO BE CLEAR WITH YOU AND THE LISTENERS…. THAT I WANT TO TREAD LIGHTLY HERE …...SINCE NO ADDITIONAL REPORTING….. BEYOND WHAT YOU DISCOVERED HAS BEEN DONE ON THIS YET......AT LEAST... AS OF THIS RECORDING…….


 AND MOST IMPORTANTLY…...IT’S COVID …...& I DON’T WANT TO CONTRIBUTE IN NEGATIVELY AFFECTING ANYONE’S BUSINESS…..I SAY THAT AS A RESTAURANT OWNER……...THAT BEING SAID …...AS A WOMAN OF COLOR….. I ALSO CAN’T BE SILENT WITH THIS…..AND I FEEL COMPELLED TO ASK QUESTIONS, LISTEN & LEARN...UNTIL WE HEAR MORE IN THE FUTURE…….I APPLAUD JOE FOR NOTICING SOME QUESTIONABLE BEHAVIOR….DIGGING FURTHER & CALLING IT OUT…..


FIRST OFF, LISTENERS IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW ALONG WITH US…. GO TO JOE’S INSTAGRAM PROFILE ….WHICH IS JOE- UNDERSCORE-ROSENTHAL….PROFILE PIC IS A BURGER.


THE TITLE OF THE POST OF IS…... “RESTAURATEURS ON SOCIAL BEING RACIST.”


THE RESTAURANT IN QUESTION IS PRINCE STREET PIZZA…. WHICH IS BOTH A NY AND LA- BASED PIZZERIA.

JOE IF YOU COULD START BY EXPLAINING WHY YOU WERE LOOKING INTO PRINCE STREET IN THE FIRST PLACE? 



[[JOE DISCUSSES]]









AND WHEN JOE WAS LOOKING THROUGH YELP HE NOTICED REVIEWS..  CLAIMING THAT PEOPLE WERE TREATED POORLY DUE TO THEIR RACE...AND THAT NON-WHITE CUSTOMERS WERE TREATED DIFFERENTLY THAN WHITE ONES.


BUT IT WAS REALLY THE RESTAURANT’S RESPONSES TO THESE PEOPLE ON YELP WHICH SEEMED TO POSSIBLY BACK UP THESE ACCUSATIONS…..


AND LISTEN…. SHOUT OUT TO ALL THE RESTAURANT OWNERS OUT THERE….PLEASE STOP RESPONDING TO REVIEWS IN 2021...IT’S A WASTE OF TIME & ENERGY...WE HAVE TOO MANY OTHER THINGS TO FOCUS ON RIGHT NOW.


HERE ARE JUST 4 OF THE RESTAURANT’S ALLEGED RESPONSES TO CUSTOMER’S CLAIMS OF RACISM….TRIGGER WARNING….I'M ABOUT TO USE HARSH LANGUAGE SO MUTE THIS PODCAST IF CHILDREN ARE AROUND...OK, HERE ARE THEIR RESPONSES:



  • #1 GO SHIT IN A HAT YOU RACIST CLOWN
  • #2 THIS OLD ASS WILL BREAK YOUR FUCKING JAW IN ONE PUNCH YOU COMMUNIST SCUMBAG
  • #3 GO FUCK YOURSELF YOU DISGUSTING RACE CARD PLAYING CUNT
  • #4 YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A MONGREL


JOE FOR LISTENERS WHO ARE MAYBE SAYING…”THIS GUY’S EXAGGERATING...LET’S BE REAL”…THESE ARE REAL ACTUAL QUOTES FROM PRINCE STREET PIZZA…. THAT YOU CAN FIND ON YELP...CORRECT?

ALSO, PLEASE TELL US... WHAT WAS THE FIRST THING THAT POPPED IN YOUR HEAD WHEN YOU SAW THEIR RESPONSES?


[[JOE DISCUSSES]]



AND PEOPLE STARTED SENDING YOU PICTURES INFORMING YOU THAT THE PIZZERIA USED TO HAVE AN NYPD STICKER IN THEIR WINDOW….NOW APPARENTLY THEY HAVE A BLUE LIVES MATTER STICKER….

JOE, TELL US WHAT YOU DISCOVERED WHEN YOU CHECKED OUT THE FACEBOOK OF DOMINIC MORANO…. WHO IS THE FACE OF THE PIZZERIA…


[[JOE DISCUSSES]]


AND WHERE DOES ALL THIS STAND RIGHT NOW? HAVE YOU REACHED OUT TO PRINCE STREET & RECEIVED A RESPONSE?


[[JOE DISCUSSES]]


JOE & PRINCE STREET 


JOE, WHAT’S THE ONE THING THAT PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT…. WHEN IT COMES TO THIS ISSUE? 

AND ALSO ONE THING THAT YOU’RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH IN BRINGING THIS ISSUE TO LIGHT...


[[JOE DISCUSSES]]


TAKEAWAY:


JOE, THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR STORY WITH US …....

I LIKE ENDING…. BY ASKING…. IF THERE’S ANY TAKEAWAY THAT YOU’D LIKE TO LEAVE WITH LISTENERS…... THAT CAN POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THEIR LIVES….. 

IT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE JUST DISCUSSED, A PRO TIP…. OR GENERAL LIFE ADVICE THAT YOU LIVE BY ….……..


[[JOE DISCUSSES]]

…...JOE WHERE CAN PEOPLE FOLLOW YOU AGAIN ?


[[JOE DISCUSSES]]


THANKS FOR LISTENING….AND IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY….... SUBSCRIBE TO “HAVE YOU EATEN YET?” ….WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR PODCASTS….


[[MUSIC]]





Prince Street Allegations
TAKEAWAY