Skip to main content

‘Generosity begets business’: Why The Meatball Shop gives away the family jewels online

Dan Holzman The Meatball Shop
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re looking for an affordable, hearty, and delicious meal in downtown New York, locals would point you no further than The Meatball Shop. With locations in the hip Lower East Side, Greenwich Village, and Williamsburg neighborhoods, it’s no wonder that an average wait for a table during normal dinner hours range anywhere between 45 minutes to two hours (but trust us, it’s worth it). If you’re not one to wait around in the cold, now you can learn to make authentic Meatball Shop meatballs straight from your laptop. Co-creator and executive chef at The Meatball Shop Dan Holzman recently collaborated with Skillshare – an educational startup that lets people host a variety of classes – to offer free online cooking class and gave his curious consumers a video tutorial on how to make the perfect meal in a class whimsically titled, “Show Us Your Balls: Meatball Making with The Meatball Shop.”

The two-week long class gave students the opportunity to view video lessons and offered specific online office hours if they had any questions. Since the course wrapped up earlier this week, and we chatted with the meatball master himself to figure out why he would give away the secrets to his restaurant’s main product.

Digital Trends: The Meatball Shop has previously released its own cookbook, so why did you decide to take your recipes to the Web?

Holzman: It was actually Skillshare that approached us, and said it’d be cool to do a cooking class, because it was something they hadn’t done before. We thought the idea was interesting because when you think of cookbooks, they’re something you keep in your house, own, and pass down. An interaction online is something you just can’t get on paper. Our online class is essentially better than a classroom because you can zoom in and out, stop, and repeat any portion of the video.

DT: How has the response been now that the class has commenced?

Holzman: We didn’t know what to expect, so we just filmed it, and Skillshare did an amazing job cutting and putting it together to make it all it can be. The response was overwhelming – about 1,300 people signed up for the class and through the process, people gave us a lot of feedback, sent their pictures, and we saw a lot of creativity. I was blown away by the response. People were tweeting at us, asking us questions, and sending photos of their final product. One person even did a photo essay!

A screencap of Holzman's Skillshare tutorial.
A screencap of Holzman’s Skillshare tutorial. Image used with permission by copyright holder

DT: The Meatball Shop is clearly known for the dish it’s named after. Why would a restaurant give away the recipe for its pride and joy?

Holzman: Here’s the deal: Usually when you take classes on Skillshare, you are normally charged a small fee. I decided I didn’t want to charge people for it. The whole process was just a nice thing to do for people – it was a no sweat off our back, it didn’t cost me much to do or much of my time. A big misconception is that a recipe means so much. You can get a recipe from any chef and it’s still all in the execution, no matter how simple or complicated the recipe. I’m not worried at all or fearing giving away this recipe. Generosity begets business. The more generous you are, the more comes back to you; the stingier you are, the less you get back in the world.

DT: Recently, some restaurants have imposed a ban on customers Instagramming their food. How do you feel about people Instagramming your meatballs?

Meatball Shop Skillshare tutorialHolzman: If you pay for the meatballs, you can do whatever you want with them. You can eat them, take a picture of them, put ’em in your pockets, I don’t care. Secondly, I can completely appreciate how, in a fancy restaurant, people don’t wanna distract the atmosphere with flashes going off. But we’re The Meatball Shop: our meatballs are cheap, we’re not pretentious, we want you to have fun and have a good mood in here. It’s fucking meatballs, man. I don’t think meatballs are the most aesthetically pleasing dish but if you want it go crazy and tell everyone about them, it’s free publicity for us and I love it. 

DT: We’re curious about the tech involved in random people in various industries’ lives so we wanna know: What’s the first piece of tech you touched today?

Holzman: My iPhone. I touched my iPhone before I touched my girlfriend this morning.

DT: And lastly, what’s on your gadget wishlist?

Holzman: I would love a pair of X-ray goggles. I’ve always wanted them my whole life, and if I’m being completely honest, I’d use them for people watching. Yeah, I’d want X-ray goggles so I can be creepy and do some naked people watching. 

Natt Garun
Former Digital Trends Contributor
An avid gadgets and Internet culture enthusiast, Natt Garun spends her days bringing you the funniest, coolest, and strangest…
This BLUETTI portable power station is truly weatherproof
Man using BLUETTI AC240 portable power station while camping to cook

It seems like we're covering a new BLUETTI launch here at Digital Trends every month, but that's okay. Thanks to the brand's excellent products, innovative advancements, and great features, people all over can access reliable power. Its latest launch, the BLUETTI AC240, is an IP65-rated weatherproof portable power station that delivers a comprehensive energy solution for outdoor enthusiasts, first responders, and beyond. Protected against dust, water, and elements, this expandable station creates an uninterrupted power source in any environment at any time. Moreover, it empowers users to stay connected, even with power-hungry devices, to tackle demanding tasks regardless of the current weather, environment, or location. Right now, you can save big by taking advantage of Early Bird pricing.
Buy Now
 
Why you should buy the BLUETTI AC240 all-weather portable power station

Imagine for a moment that you're camping with your family, hiking through the great outdoors, or even taking a long, scenic road trip through the countryside. In all of these situations, even when you're off-grid, you'll still need reliable access to power to charge your phone and tablet(s) and power up other electronics -- like a coffee maker when you wake up in the morning. Of course, power stations and power outlets don't exist randomly out in the wild. You could use your vehicle, but that will drain the battery and, in some cases, still won't provide enough power for what you want to do. Cue the BLUETTI AC240 portable power station and devices like it.

Read more
Snag this Roomba robot vacuum while it’s discounted to $180
iRobot Roomba 694 at Best Buy - WiFi connected robot vacuum

If you're on the hunt for robot vacuum deals because you think you need help from one of these cleaning devices to keep your floors spotless, you should head on over to Crutchfield where the iRobot Roomba 694 is available at $95 off. From its original price of $275, you'll only have to pay $180, which is an excellent price for all of the conveniences that you'll get from this machine. We're not sure how much time is remaining before this offer expires though, so you better hurry and complete your purchase while you can still pocket the savings.

Why you should buy the iRobot Roomba 694 robot vacuum
For its relatively affordable price, the iRobot Roomba 694 offers most of the important features that you would expect from a robot vacuum. It comes with a three-stage cleaning system that includes an edge-sweeping brush, roller brushes, and powerful vacuum suction. You'll be able to control the device through the iRobot Home app on your smartphone or using voice commands through smart home devices that are powered by Google Assistant or Amazon's Alexa. Once the iRobot Roomba 694 is done, or when its battery runs low in the middle of cleaning, it will automatically returns to its base station for recharging.

Read more
DeWalt Spring Black Friday sale: Power tools and accessories from $15
A DeWalt drill being used.

If you have grand plans for a major home renovation project, you need the right power tools to facilitate this. Fortunately, there’s a huge DeWalt Spring Black Friday sale going on at Amazon so you can save big on plenty of great power tools as well as accessories for enriching the experience. There are hundreds of options within the DeWalt sale so the best thing you can do is hit the button below right now and see what’s out there for yourself. However, if you want some inspiration of what to consider, keep reading and we’ll take you through what we love most.

What to shop for in the DeWalt Spring Black Friday sale
Seemingly every household renovation task can be made easier with a good quality drill. That’s why it’s a great idea to buy the which is down to $99 from $179. A considerable saving of 45%, you get a compact and lightweight drill driver which can deliver 300 unit watts out of power. Its high speed transmission has two speeds of either 0-450 and 1,500 rpm with a 1/2-inch single sleeve ratcheting chuck which provides tight bit gripping strength. It’s the workhorse everyone needs and is sure to last.

Read more