Did Table 87 get a deal on Shark Tank?

For many eons, frozen pizza has been mostly disgusting, a form of cuisine that, despite the rapid technologizing of society and the global love of pizza, has experienced little innovation. Finally, however, the Brooklyn-based Table 87 (“Home of the Coal Oven Slice”) has hacked frozen pizza in a way that caters to those who might live alone, don’t cook, don’t order out, want good pizza, and don’t want to make an entire frozen pizza for themselves. (That person is me.)

Each Table 87 frozen pizza slice is sold individually and is an ample New York–style slice, bigger than my head, which is a normal-size head. At this time margherita is the only variety available in slice form. Pepperoni, mushroom with white truffle oil, and prosciutto, in addition to margherita, are options in the frozen whole-pie varietal.

According to Table 87 owner Thomas Cucco, who appeared on a 2015 episode of Shark Tank, his frozen pizza is superior to others due to a technique that cooks it for two minutes and then flash-freezes it. The Sharks, impressed, entered a bidding war; Cucco received a $250,000 investment from Lori Greiner after she negotiated a 19% take in the business.

After about 10 minutes in the oven, a Table 87 frozen pizza slice is not quite a fresh (or fresh-ish) dollar slice. It’s something unto itself that, in my consideration, is a formidable rival to a street slice and is superior to a frozen Roberta’s pizza, which I always find to be disconcertingly chewy and dry. No, this is a slice full of verve—a plate is necessary to catch any gloppy mozzarella or no-frills tomato sauce. It’s also the perfect thing to eat when you are extremely hungry and want something hot that is not toast.

A few caveats: The cooking time on the package says eight minutes, but I find 10 to be more satisfactory, and of course, that doesn’t include the time your oven takes to preheat. Also, each slice retails for $5 (prices are higher if you buy online, but the pizza does arrive quickly in a bed of dry ice). Five bucks for a slice of frozen pizza? Yes, I know. But when you factor in the amount of time it takes to make one, and the level of satiation and satisfaction it provides, the cost, in my estimation, comes out to about $2 per slice. In New York prices, that’s basically free.

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