Protest Pizza + Bar

We knew we weren’t naming ourselves Neutral Pizza.

When we named this place, it couldn’t just be branding. We wanted to make great pizza, pour frozen margaritas, and build a business that stands up for D.C. Sometimes that costs us.

What happened
This summer, the D.C. Council approved a flat 20-cent fee on third-party food and grocery deliveries. The money helps pay for local food-access programs. DoorDash opposed it, made its case to the Council, and lost. Then DoorDash went to Congress.

In July, DoorDash wrote to the House Oversight Committee supporting H.R. 9720, the D.C. Taxing Authority Review Act. Among other things, the bill would require congressional approval before a new or increased D.C. tax or fee could take effect. The committee advanced it. It has not passed Congress.
DoorDash says it supports Home Rule. We don’t see how those two positions fit together.

What we did
We turned DoorDash off when its letter became public. No post. No announcement. We stopped taking orders and started reading.
We read the bill and the letter. We looked at what DoorDash actually brings into our business. We are a new, independent restaurant. Every order matters, and walking away costs us real revenue. That is why we took the time to be sure.

Our conclusion: twenty cents can be debated. That’s what local democracy is for. But D.C.’s local tax and fee decisions should be made in D.C., by the people D.C. voters elected.

What we’re not saying
We’re not calling for a boycott or telling anyone how to order dinner. This is our decision about our partners.

This isn’t about Dashers. They work hard and deserve respect. We remain on Uber Eats and Grubhub, and delivery is still available at ProtestPizza.com. Our issue is not delivery. It is DoorDash’s decision to lobby Congress for more control over D.C.

What would change this
If DoorDash publicly withdraws its support for H.R. 9720, we’ll turn the platform back on.

That’s the whole condition.

Until then, order direct from us when you can. Please do the same for the other neighborhood restaurants you love. Direct orders keep more of your money in the places feeding your community.

Values mean more when they occasionally require something from you.

D.C. should govern D.C.