'Shark Tank' contestant gets smacked in the face with a pizza — then wins a massive $120,000 deal
Entrepreneurs who come to “Shark Tank” are usually prepared to face harsh comments, and some even get slammed by Mr. Wonderful Kevin O' Leary. But a founder was smacked with pizza on the face, and his partner did that to him. The entrepreneurs were brothers, Andy and Eric Bert, who sought $120,000 for a 10% stake in their company, Bertello Pizza Oven.
The entrepreneurs claimed that their ovens can run on various kinds of fuel, like coal, wood, and gas. One can even use gas to preheat the oven and then bake the pizzas using wood or coal. The entrepreneurs believed that it was a much better alternative to home-made or frozen pizzas, which do not taste good.
“The next time someone asks you to take a bite out of a frozen pizza or a take-and-bake pizza cooked in a home conventional oven, forget about it,” Eric said before being smacked in the face by his brother with a pizza. “Are you going to do the pitch like that?” Lori Greiner asked the founder, who was in a mess with tomato sauce on him. But she did not offer a deal to the company.
The product was priced at $250, which was not expensive at all as far as the sharks were concerned. With a manufacturing cost of less than $100, margins were fantastic. The entrepreneurs also claimed that the company had earned $640,000 from sales the year prior to taping and $400,000 year-to-date. Barbara Corcoran seemed interested, but she had one major problem.
“When you did your dog and pony show, I mean, we were like jumping in our seats. And then you got hit with a pizza and everything changed. Are you still recovering from that? What’s happened?” she asked Eric, before adding, “I buy into products that I’m not that crazy about, and I love the entrepreneur, and I do very well with it.”
She did end up offering the pair a deal, but asked for 25% of the company in return for $120,000. As the Berts were about to counter, Kevin O’Leary stepped in and asked for 30%. He knew that the firm could become something big. The entrepreneurs asked him if he could match Corcoran’s offer, which he did, and the deal was agreed upon.
“I hope you lose all your money,” Corcoran said to Mr. Wonderful and acknowledged that she was being mean because she was annoyed at what she had just witnessed. She even called one of the entrepreneurs low energy.
More on Market Realist:
Entrepreneur makes a huge mess on 'Shark Tank' set and still managed to get a life-changing deal
'Shark Tank' contestants who threw healthy food in trash tempt Mark Cuban to invest in junk food
'Shark Tank' contestants bring a pizza cupcake as their product and it went as expected
