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A beloved Coney Island pizza joint is shifting its focus toward distributing frozen pies on a national level.

Antoinette Balzano, the operator of nearly century-old Totonno’s, told the Brooklyn Paper the brick-oven pizzeria famous for its thin-crust slices recently purchased new freezers and is training its pizzaiolos in the art of frozen pizza making.

She added that the Neptune Avenue mainstay is also mulling reopening again for on-site dining.

Totonno’s has been shuttered since the onset of the COVID pandemic more than two years ago.

“We’re training and getting ready to transition to the deliveries throughout America so that we can bring my grandfather’s name and legacy where it should be,” said Balzano, granddaughter of the pizzeria’s founder Antonio “Totonno” Pero.

Balzano said the pizzeria plans to launch its new business model by the beginning of October, using Uber Eats to deliver pies citywide. She said its ultimate goal is to have Totonno’s pizza available in frozen foods aisles at supermarkets across the United States.


  “We’re training and getting ready to transition to the deliveries throughout America so that we can bring my grandfather’s name and legacy where it should be,” said Antoinette Balzano, the operator of Totonno. Joseph Farrell “We’re training and getting ready to transition to the deliveries throughout America so that we can bring my grandfather’s name and legacy where it should be,” said Antoinette Balzano, the operator of Totonno. Joseph Farrell

Totonno’s, which opened in 1924 and has long been considered one of New York’s most popular pizzerias, is also one of the few joints grandfathered to still use a coal-fired brick oven. Operating new coal ovens is illegal under New York environmental law.

Despite its popularity, the pizzeria has faced a series of challenges over the past two decades, including a devastating 2009 fire that shut it down for nearly a year. It was also forced to shut down for a few months and undergo repairs after being hit hard by Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

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