David Cassidy on the Web
Why Are Lil Jon, David Cassidy and Other Celebs Selling Pizza?
The cast of Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice spent the day spinning dough at Famous Famiglia Pizzeria in the Big Apple.
October 20, 2010
By Lauren Drell
http://smallbusiness.aol.com
It was a battle of the sexes at two Famous Famiglia Pizzeria establishments in New York -- all part of a reality show, rumored to be the new season of Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice.
At the pizza joint's Broadway and 8th Street location on Tuesday, Sugar Ray lead singer Mark McGrath, Survivor winner Richard Hatch, former baseball slugger Jose Canseco, musician Meat Loaf, Partridge Family actor David Cassidy, actor Gary Busey, country musician John Rich and rapper Lil' Jon flipped, topped, sliced and served pizza from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. During the celebrity shift, the restaurant saw a line out the door, with upwards of 70 people waiting for their slice of pie.
Each slice sold for $5, all of which went to charity. Meat Loaf manned the register, handling credit cards, while Hatch took cash and called attention to large donations -- "That's $400 for charity!"
But charity wasn't the only benefactor. The event also brought plenty of foot traffic to Famous Famiglia, which has several locations across Manhattan. One of those locations -- at the 50th Street and Broadway -- hosted female celebrities including model Niki Taylor, La Toya Jackson and Star Jones, who vied to trump the men in sales.
Cassidy was impressed with his own team's success and estimated that they raised close to $100,000 total. "We've done 150 pies today," he said. "By the end, we'll have had 1,500 -- maybe 2,000! -- slices of pizza in four hours. We have no idea how [the women] are doing."
McGrath said he learned a lot about workflow and teamwork in the fast-paced environment, which was made more chaotic by frenzied fans and an entire production crew.
"The integration of systems is important, it needs to work perfectly," he said. "There are many things that need to be done and considered to make whole pies -- mechanics, accounting, operations, how much dough to use. It's really a team effort."
And these celebs have a newfound appreciation for small businesses, thanks to their day on the job.
"A lot of work and effort goes into selling pizza in New York City," McGrath said. "I have a lot of respect for it now!"
