In the city that never sleeps, with the cabs that never wait and the rent that never drops, it's no wonder $1 pizza places thrive.

Since the 1990s, dollar pizza shops started springing up around NYC. While many of them came and went, there are more than 200 scattered throughout the five boroughs.

With so many options, Francisco Balagtas created the Instagram account Dollar Pizza Slice NYC to locate and rate every dollar pizza shop in NYC.

Before moving back to New York, Francisco lived the “snow bum life,” working at a resort in Vermont for four years, but he missed the faster pace of the city.

Currently working as the Inventory Manager for Burton Warehouse in NYC, the pizza critic is more than content with a job that offers the freedoms and resources he needs to continue his hobbies of snowboarding, skateboarding, running marathons and eating pizza.

Francisco has a background in business marketing and international business, but what sets his Instagram account apart is his structure for reviews.

Striving to maintain a controlled environment, he takes every picture at the same angle with no filters. He then breaks down the bread, sauce and cheese into three separate ratings, from one to five.

But how do shops make money off $1 pizza, and what makes New Yorkers keep coming back?

Elite Daily met up with Francisco to learn more about the science behind the slice.

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