Wow! This New Jersey pizza joint was threatened by famous actress

If you read “NJ pizza joint was threatened” as the start of a headline, I’m sure your mind immediately auto-filled “by mobster” or “by real-life Tony Soprano.”

That’s not quite the case here, but it’s still interesting and certainly Italy-related.

The staff of Brooklyn Square Pizza revealed on social media why they had to change the name of one of their menu items.

The Sophia Loren pie, named after the Academy Award-winning actress, was changed in the past few years due to legal action that her team threatened to take on them.

Brooklyn Square Pizza

A letter sent to the pizzeria owners accused them of depriving Loren of her personal right to control the commercial use of her name, among other things. The letter can be seen on their social media pages.

The pie is now called the “Susan Grippo pie,” after the owner’s wife.

The Susan Grippo pie consists of fresh mozzarella, fresh slices of tomatoes, and fresh garlic.

Support for Brooklyn Spare Pizza came pouring in on their various posts.

“That guy spent half $1 million at law school to write threatening letters about pizza,” wrote @thedeskchicken on Instagram.

“It's funny in a few years they'll be begging for someone to remember her. Ask anyone under 40-50 who knows the name…” came in from Christian.

“I love Sophia, but I can’t believe she had nothing better to do and then come after a pizza place in Jackson,” commented Jenny on Facebook.

@Chefdan1 commented “Imagine paying lawyers for a pizza named after you. Lol. I'd be honored. Good for you guys that pizza must be good as hell to have reached her!”

Susan Grippo, herself, even chimed in, posting on the pizzeria’s Facebook post “Finally lol It only took me 25 years to get a pie named after me and this is why… The “Susan Grippo” Pie for the Win”

Couldn’t agree more, Susan! I have no issue saying “arrivederci” to the Sophia Loren pie.

Brooklyn Square Pizza, known for their Upside Down Square pie and their round pies with signature sesame seed crust, has restaurants in Jackson Township, Manalapan, and Toms River.

You can check out their locations and menu items on their website.

You may recognize them from getting a very high score from Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy.

Dave Portnoy’s One Bite Pizza Review for Brooklyn Square Pizza in NJ: 8.9

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.
Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.