Friday, November 21, 2008

Recession buster: 99 cents for a slice

A buck a slice - that price is nice! New Yorkers scrambling to survive the economic meltdown are flocking to pizza shops that sell slices for just 99 cents. Lines form out the door all day at the 99 Cent Fresh Pizza place near the Port Authority Bus Terminal and its sister shop on E. 43rd St. As the Daily News reported on Monday, most pizzerias have been slow to drop their prices even though flour now costs half what it did in the summer. The low prices are winning over fans in a tough economy. Most $1-a-slice fans say the pizza's just as good as places that charge triple. Mohammed Hossain, a manager at 99 Cents Fresh Pizza, says he keeps the price so low because his shop is tiny and it doesn't sell much besides pizza and drinks. "Our customers are happy," said Hossain, 33, of Brooklyn. "Nobody sells $1 slices." Actually, dozens of pizza shops in the city have cut prices, many as low as 99 cents. Business was slow at Mamani Pizza on Avenue A in the East Village until management sliced the prices in half from $2 to a buck a couple of months ago. Karate instructor Aswad Foster, 37, said he heard about Mamani from students. "They're good, definitely good for $1," Foster said. Pizza prices had gone through the roof in recent years with plenty of parlors hiking the basic slice to $2.50 or more. Owners are rethinking those increases as customers look to fill up on the cheap. "Other places want too much markup," said Mamani's owner, John Rani, 39, of Brooklyn. "Cheese and flour and everything came down in price, but they still want their large profits." (Daily News)