Daniel Romano spotted an elderly woman searching through his trash for food outside D’Romano’s Pizza in the Bronx, and instead of turning away, he brought her inside for a fresh slice. What happened next turned a quiet act of kindness in Throggs Neck into a story that has racked up millions of views around the world.
Romano owns D’Romano’s Pizza at 3579 East Tremont Avenue, a storefront he took over in January 2024 and reopened after a full renovation, according to the Bronx Times. After seeing the woman going through his garbage, he walked her inside and gave her a fresh slice rather than something pulled from the trash. As reported by FOX 5 New York, Romano’s story went viral with millions of views worldwide after the encounter was shared online.
In the FOX 5 New York clip, Romano recalled the moment, telling the woman not to be upset over her circumstances. “Don’t cry, eat,” he said, according to the outlet’s report on the viral video.
A Handwritten Sign With a Simple Promise
Romano didn’t stop at one plate. He posted a handwritten sign in his storefront window immediately after witnessing the woman searching his trash, per the same outlet’s account. The sign reads: “To the people eating out of my garbage, I have more love for you than you think. Please tell me if you’re hungry, I will give you a slice of pizza,” alongside an offer of free fresh water.
The gesture reflects a philosophy Romano says he learned from his late mother, Carmela Romano, who taught him that a desperate person will always make a better decision on a full stomach than on an empty one, the Bronx Times reports. Romano recalled her words after guiding the elderly woman inside to eat. He is a 45-year veteran of the pizza business who started at age 10 working alongside his father at Yolanda’s on East 149th Street in the South Bronx and later owned two pizzerias on Long Island before retiring at 50 following the deaths of both his parents, per the same account.
A Lifelong Habit, Not a New Marketing Move
The Bronx Times notes that Romano’s generosity long predates D’Romano’s. Before opening the shop, he routinely paid out of his own pocket to buy meals for hungry people whenever previous employers refused to let him give away unsold food, a habit he maintained across his 45 years in the restaurant industry.
Since the story spread through news coverage and social media in late August, Romano has expanded his effort to feed locals in need. Callers from across the United States began telephoning D’Romano’s Pizza to purchase extra slices over the phone for local residents, according to Sunny Skyz. Those phone donations have let the pizzeria stretch its meal distributions beyond what its own budget could cover.
The Bronx's Deep Well of Need
Romano's actions land in a borough carrying the city's heaviest hunger burden. Over 20%, or nearly 291,000, Bronx residents experience food insecurity, and 27.7% live below the federal poverty line, a rate 51% above New York City's overall poverty rate, according to Patch, citing 2024 Food Bank For New York City data. More than 40% of Bronx residents rely on SNAP benefits, the highest participation rate of any city borough, with nearly 500,000 enrolled individuals.
That reliance on public assistance sits atop a strained safety net. A report on New York City SNAP access found that demand across the city's nearly 800 emergency food pantries and soup kitchens remains well above pre-pandemic levels due to benefit volatility and inflation, with pantries reporting early-month spikes when household SNAP benefits run out.
Independent food businesses stepping in to fill gaps isn't unique to the Bronx. In San Francisco's Bayview district, the bakery known as The Den at Craftsman and Wolves built a comparable pay-it-forward slice program encouraging customers to buy extra $3 slices for neighbors in need, showing how small food enterprises across the country have adopted similar grassroots safety nets.
