Big Mama’s and Papa’s Pizzeria was a highlight of the 2014 Oscars when host Ellen DeGeneres served pizza slices to some of Hollywood’s biggest stars during the telecast. Well, the pizza is returning this year with a new challenge for Academy Awards attendees.
“This is a challenge to you guys,” CEO of BMPP Franchising Inc. Aro Agakhanyan said in a YouTube video posted Thursday. “All we need is your voice at the big event this Sunday.”
Agakhanyan and his employees will serve 2,500 homeless people if a star mentions the shop’s name on stage during this Sunday’s awards ceremony.
In the video, Agakhanyan and shop employees visit Skidrow in downtown Los Angeles with a an SUV packed with large pizza slices. They visit tents where homeless people are resting or sleeping.
“Thank you,” one woman said as she clutched the pizza box.
Another homeless man said the pizza was good. He hadn’t eaten in two days.
The pizzeria saw a surge in popularity after DeGeneres, invited delivery guy Edgar Martirosyan to serve stars inside the Dolby Theatre auditorium. Actors such as Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep and Jared Leto enjoyed pizza slices, TheWrap previously reported.
Neil Patrick Harris will host this year’s Oscars Sunday in the Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood and Highland Center in Hollywood.
Watch Ellen’s pizza delivery at last year’s Oscars and her $1,000 tip for the lucky deliver boy: