Philadelphia Pizza Shop Pays It Forward, One Slice at a Time

Mason Wartman is bringing a slice of New York City to Philadelphia.

Formerly on Wall Street, Wartman, 27, saw how successful $1 pizza shops are in Manhattan, then decided to move back home to Philadelphia and start up one his own.

His Rosa's Fresh Pizza – named for his mother – opened in December 2013, and little did Wartman know what it would develop into three months later, reports Philly station WPVI.

In March 2014, a customer asked if he could buy a slice for someone in need. It wasn't long before Wartman got Post-It notes and drew a smiley face on them, to symbolize a free slice.

Nine months and about 8,000 slices later, the pizza shop is now covered with colorful Post-Its sharing inspiring messages of motivation or gratitude, such as "you can do it" and "you are beautiful."

One man wrote, "God bless you. Because of you I ate off this plate, the only thing I ate all day."

Wartman feeds about 30 to 40 homeless people a day, ABC News reports.

He treats every customer the same, no matter if he or she is on the receiving or giving end of the pizza slice.

As Wartman told WPVI, "They deserve to eat in the store and enjoy the music as much as any other paying customer would."