'Don't cry. Eat': Bronx pizzeria owner's sign for people eating out of his trash goes viral

The woman started to cry. Romano’s response was “Don’t cry. Eat,” the Bronx Times reported.

Afterwards, the pizzeria owner posted a handwritten note on his storefront reading, “To the people eating out of the garbage, I have more love for you than you think. Please tell me you’re hungry, I will give you a slice of pizza.”

The impromptu sign brought in unexpected customers

The sign has brought in new customers, many who said they decided to walk in after seeing it online, the local outlet reported.

“Every day is a little busier,” Romano said. He added that the sign in the window was never about going viral. It was about making sure hungry people didn’t feel like they had to resort to eating out of the garbage.

“If we throw away so much anyway, why not feed people?” he said.

Still, word of what Romano is doing has spread far beyond the Throggs Neck neighborhood of The Bronx, with strangers nationwide calling to pay for slices for those in need.

“I have people from Texas. I have people from Arkansas. I have people from Alaska… from all over the world, Hawaii, calling me,” he told Fox 5.

Romano has spent the majority of his life in the restaurant business. He previously owned two restaurants on Long Island before retiring at the young age of 50. But he came out of early retirement to take over the pizzeria located on East Tremont Avenue earlier this year.