Call it the Dave Portnoy effect. Pizzerias in the Des Moines metro are seeing an uptick in business since the founder of Barstool Sports, a sports and pop culture company, dropped by five Des Moines metro pizza shops for his “One Bite Pizza Reviews.”

Portnoy, who was in Iowa for the Iowa vs. Iowa State game in Ames on Sept. 6, stopped at The Tavern in Valley Junction, Centro in downtown Des Moines, Fong’s Pizza in the Market District, Taste of New York in West Des Moines, and Pepp’s Pizzeria in Urbandale.

Since his reviews dropped on social media, Centro saw a boost in pizza sales, “anywhere from +14% on Wednesday to +47% on Saturday, which has been a surprise; we’ve had to adjust our staffing and takeout systems to avoid getting overwhelmed,” said Adam Bartelt, the director of marketi

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