Foursquare File: Ben Breier

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We’re really big fans of Foursquare! What is Foursquare? It’s a social network. It allows you to see where your friends are eating and drinking and having more fun than you—which often is right down the block. It’s based on the idea of “checking into” venues. Once you are checked in, your friends know where you are.

Why are we really big fans? If you’re kinda obsessed with local entertainment, like us, it’s fun (and extremely helpful) to see if your friends are hanging out a Schiller’s—while you’re finishing up your whiskey and Vernors at nearby Motor City Bar. Meet you at Spitzer's Corner! You can even follow us!

Each week or so, we are profiling one of NYC's most active members. This week: Ben Breier. He’s earned a Pizzaiolo Badge for checking into 20 different pizzerias. He likes Paulie Gee's, loathes Artichoke and has some ideas about dining in Murray Hill. 

Congrats on the Pizzaiolo badge! Where did you check in to earn it?
Viva Herbal Pizzeria in the East Village. I'm not exactly a regular—I probably visit it about once a month. But I'm a huge fan of their crispy spelt crust and the gratuitous amount of veggies they put on their pizza.

Over the course of 20 check-ins, you've seen the good, bad and the ugly of NYC pizza. What are some of your favorites? Not-so-favorites?
My two favorite places to get pizza are Paulie Gee's in Greenpoint and Roberta's in Bushwick, but both for vastly different reasons. Paulie Gee's keeps it simple with the freshest possible ingredients. Roberta's has some truly unique pies; they introduced me to the concept of ramps on a pizza, which is absolute nirvana.

I think Artichoke is pretty overrated. I find the traditional artichoke slice to be too creamy and really heavy. It makes you feel like garbage for the rest of the day. If I'm in the East Village, I'm going to grab a slice from Viva Herbal, Bar Veloce or Two Boots before I go to Artichoke. The long line doesn't help either—I don't mind waiting for a great slice, but Artichoke seems to be a magnet for entitled jerks.

Are you the mayor of any NYC pizza joints?
Two. Baldo's Pizza and Triangolo Pizza, both of which are located in Greenpoint. Baldo's used to be a staple because of its proximity to my old apartment, and the fact that $4 could feed me, which was critical when I was unemployed. Baldo's is the ramen noodles of pizza. Triangolo is caddy corner to my new place, and I've become a huge fan of their sauce-less jalapeno-onion slice.

Do you tend to lean toward a "style" of pizza?
I'm not a big discriminator on thick versus thin crust, but I do generally like my crust to be self-supporting. If the crust does a forward nose dive because the grease is weighing it down, you have issues.

Twenty different pizza check-ins is a lot. Do you ever tire of pizza?
It's quick, and it's a good way for meat eaters and vegetarians to dine together without many fits. I think with all the different varieties and nuances, it's basically impossible to get tired of pizza. My favorite food is basically anything you can have for breakfast—but if you combine the two (such as Motorino's breakfast pizza), I'm set.

What other badges are you proud to carry?
I unlocked the Super Mayor badge, which you get for holding 10 simultaneous mayorships. When I unlocked it, almost all the badges were from businesses that I patronized in Greenpoint. I try to keep my business and money as local as possible, and I'm really proud of my neighborhood—it's the best nabe Brooklyn has to offer.

If Foursquare was to create another "category" badge, what would you suggest?
The Murray Hill badge, which you could earn by checking into 10 non-chain restaurants in that neighborhood. Since this is virtually impossible, this badge would never be won! Instead, I'd propose some sort if Stupid Check-in badge. I think it's poor form and annoying to check into things like subway stations. Or different rooms of your apartment. Mayor of a street corner? Who gives a shit? It seems like it'd be the next evolution of badges like the Overshare badge and the Douchebag badge.

If you had a meeting with Foursquare, what would you tell them? What would improve their network?
A few months ago, the Foursquare team decided to heavily restrict the "douchebag" tag because people were upset that they were earning the Douchebag badge. I always thought it was great and showed that the team has an awesome sense of humor. I actually chuckled out loud when I earned mine, but some people apparently were very offended, which is moronic.

I'd tell them to bring the tag back—but only for Level 2 Superusers and above, so it isn't abused. Or, hell, Foursquare could appoint me as the Judge of Douchebaggery. Oh, and I'd probably ask for a T-shirt.

Photo by Ryan Muir