
Andres Valencia with owner Neal Persten.
By: Sharon Aron Baron
On Wednesday, Big Daddy’s Pizza got an early start to their day so they could prepare 75 pies to donate to those working the day shift Northwest Medical Center.
They even returned Thursday evening to feed the entire night shift staff.
But this wasn’t the first time they fed the staff at the Margate hospital. On March 23, Captain Matthew Whiteshield of the Margate-Coconut Creek Firefighters Benevolent surprised the ER staff with lunch.
For almost 14 years, Big Daddy’s Pizza & Subs has been open at 407 N State Road 7 in Margate — and last March, they opened a second location at 2047 N University Drive in Coral Springs called Big Daddy’s Pizza of Coral Springs and Italian Ristorante.

ER Staff at Northwest Medical with Matthew Whiteshield’s pizza donation.
Owner Neal Persten — otherwise known as “Big Daddy,” was born in New York and moved to Florida with his family when he was young. He worked at a Coral Springs Italian restaurant called “Little Italy” which was owned by his parents, and later went on to work at Brooklyn Boys.
In 2006, Big Daddy’s Pizza & Subs in Margate was opened.
Since its opening, Big Daddy’s has partnered with many local elementary, middle and high schools and frequently sponsors their pizza nights, and has been involved in their various after school programs and clubs.
Over the years, Big Daddy’s has fed local sports teams and organizations as well as catered meals to local Targets, Walmart’s, Home Depot’s, and more.
Both Big Daddy’s locations will remain open during regular operating hours through the coronavirus pandemic to serve their loyal customers. They are offering specials on a daily basis that can be found on their Facebook and Instagram channels. More information about Big Daddy’s, along with their menus can be found at BigDaddysPizzaMargate.com. To place an online order, visit chownow.com.
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