Gray's Papaya, which has long lured New Yorkers with cheap hot dogs, recently ventured into a new arena: $1 slices of pizza.
"If you're hungry or broke or just in a hurry," proclaims the banners outside its downtown store, one of two Gray's location but the only one selling pizza.
In a city where few things come cheap, the quintessential New York slice is one thing that seems to just keep getting cheaper. There are roughly two dozen pizza shops or eateries selling slices costing a buck or less—or cheaper than most cups of coffee. There is at least one—Ray's Pizza on Broadway between 54th and 55th streets—that started selling 75-cent slices in January as a temporary promotion and never stopped. Ray's management say it began the promotion to survive the competition from a 99-cent Fresh Pizza that opened across the street from it.
The psychological allure of $1 food extends beyond the slice. There is a Pop's Dollar Food Shop near Penn Station that opened a few months ago that sells slices, hamburgers, hot dogs and French fries for $1 each. And Kashmir Grill, an Indian restaurant on 8th Avenue, sells $1 burgers.
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