The Boston Globe
Renting above Soiled Water Dough in East Boston comes with a tasty perk.
Most Boston renters contemplate themselves fortunate in the event that they rating facilities like in-unit laundry or a free parking spot.
However for the tenants of 1 East Boston three-bedroom, there’s a perk that’s made-to-order: free pizza, as soon as every week.
The saucy add-on got here into existence in 2019, when Sam Sokol bought the constructing on the nook of Maverick Avenue and Border Avenue to open an outpost of the Newbury Avenue pizza joint Soiled Water Dough. When it got here to promoting the 1,100-square-foot, two-floor condo that sits atop the restaurant, Sokol and his property administration crew needed to discover a aggressive edge in opposition to different stock flooding the neighborhood.
“It’s not all the time enjoyable to reside on high of a restaurant, proper? There’s gonna be some further noise. There is perhaps some smells. So how will we incite folks to wish to reside on this condo?” mentioned Sokol. “We mentioned, ‘Nicely, why don’t we sort of embrace them in feeling like they’re part of it?’”
Since then, a number of teams of tenants have known as the condo dwelling — and made Soiled Water their once-a-week kitchen. One in all these tenants, Max Tabakin, who lived there with two roommates from January via August of 2022, made a TikTok video in regards to the setup, which has racked up 3.7 million views.
“We had been selecting between residences and [my roommates] have been wanting extra in direction of these extra trendy ones,” mentioned Tabakin, who since transferring out has been touring the world as a contract videographer. “The best way I used to be capable of promote them really on the condo was like, ‘Yo, look, this one has pizza. How superior is that?’”
Generally Tabakin and his associates would declare their pie on a Saturday evening as a pre-game snack earlier than hitting the bars — or for late-night slices after they returned dwelling. Their favourite was the mac-and-cheese pizza, however “we tried just about each pizza on the menu,” Tabakin mentioned of an eclectic choice that features choices like steak-and-cola (a pie topped with Coca Cola-marinated steak) and the “Fenway Frank” (topped with scorching canines and yellow mustard).
It has fallen on the restaurant workers to attempt to preserve monitor of when the tenants declare their weekly allowance, however “no person was making an attempt to take benefit or something,” mentioned supervisor Jacqueline Babin.
“It was good, having quick little chats after they got here down to choose up their pizza,” mentioned Babin of earlier tenants. “Like new associates we didn’t know we had.”
Shortly after Sokol took over the property, the COVID-19 pandemic froze the rental market, resulting in a spike in vacancies in East Boston. However within the years since, the market has rebounded, and provide has tightened as soon as extra, with rents round right here nonetheless on the ascent.
“I suppose we in all probability don’t want [the pizza perk] anymore as a result of there’s a a lot increased demand these days,” he mentioned.
Certainly they didn’t: When the condo went again in the marketplace earlier this 12 months, the pizza perk had fallen off the property itemizing, although Sokol mentioned he by no means formally rolled it again.
The present tenants locked down the unit via a dealer, Charles Haritos of Metro Realty, who mentioned he was by no means instructed in regards to the association.
“I don’t precisely get quite a lot of meals offers for my purchasers,” he mentioned when a Globe reporter instructed him in regards to the amenity. “The tenants have been fairly fortunate that I didn’t learn about that concession, as a result of I in all probability would have taken the place myself.”
So the present group of tenants signed the $3,300 lease and moved in on July 1, none the wiser in regards to the free pizza, although an all-caps be aware about it has remained within the unit’s itemizing on Flats.com.
The privilege remained unbeknownst to the tenants till a Globe reporter’s question in regards to the association prompted Sokol to attach the reporter to the present tenants.
As soon as he was knowledgeable of the free weekly pizza, Evan Taylor, an area faculty scholar who is likely one of the present residents, mentioned he was wanting ahead to inaugurating it with a pepperoni pie. He mentioned it will likely be a boon on nights when he doesn’t really feel like cooking, reminiscent of after working a 10-hour shift at Starbucks.
“I’ve been making an attempt to keep away from it, really, as a result of I like pizza and I’m tremendous scared that if I gave into the comfort of getting a pizza place proper downstairs, then I’ll simply eat pizza, like, each day,” he mentioned. “However now that there’s this free pizza in it for me, I feel I’ll positively be down there extra.”
Earlier than you ask: No, Evan has no plans of transferring any time quickly. But when and when the digs change into vacant as soon as extra, Sokol mentioned free pizza would stay a everlasting topping.
“I don’t assume I’ll ever do away with that perk,” he mentioned. “In case you reside above the restaurant, you’ll all the time have that privilege.”
