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A MUCH-LOVED pizza chain has shuttered one of its locations in a major city leaving customers devastated.
MOD Pizza rival UNO Pizzeria & Grill has closed its only remaining restaurant in Framingham, Massachusetts.
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The pizza chain’s branch doors officially shut for good on Tuesday, September 17.
“It is with sadness that we write to let you know that our UNO Pizzeria & Grill location in Framingham will be closing after dinner service on Tuesday, September 17th,” it wrote in a recent Facebook post.
“We have enjoyed being a part of this wonderful community and will truly miss the friendships and partnerships we have made over the years.”
Customers who still want to get their pizza fix can head to UNO’s next nearest restaurants in Bellingham and Dedham.
Read more on Store Closings
But the latest announcement means Framingham now has no UNO locations left in the city.
Commenting on the chain’s Facebook post announcing its closure, one customer said: “Went there for decades.
“Great people, great food and good times. They’ll never be another place like Uno in Framingham.”
“All I have to say is wow!!! My forever family came from Unos! Miss you all and you all know who you are!” said another.
A third commented: “I celebrated my 30th birthday there…. I’m 62 now. This is devastating.”
The Framingham branch closure comes after UNO shut another of its sites in Baltimore, Maryland, just last month.
The Canton Crossing shopping center restaurant waved goodbye to customers on August 18 as it permanently closed.
A third location closed on July 9 in Westborough, Massachusetts, too, with customers informed on Facebook.
Uno Pizzeria & Grill is an American chain best known for its Chicago-style deep-dish pizza.
The chain has over 100 US locations and competes with restaurants like Chili’s and Olive Garden.
CLOSURES ACROSS THE BOARD
Many popular restaurant chains shuttered locations in the first half of 2024, including Red Lobster, Tijuana Flats, Pizza Hut, and TGI Friday’s.
The U.S. Sun previously spoke about the trend of restaurant chain closures with Mitchell Olsen, a marketing professor specializing in retail at the University of Notre Dame.
A big factor in the closures is inflation, with the cost of eating out up 4% from May 2023 to May 2024.
Olsen explained that increased costs have driven closures in two ways, from “both sides of the menu.”
Restaurant closures in 2024
BOSSES at major dining chains have announced a series of restaurant closures. The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of the chain’s affected.
- Cracker Barrel: Stores in Medford, Oregon, Columbia, South Carolina, and Sacramento, California, have closed.
- Mod Pizza: Bosses dramatically shuttered 27 shops in April, including some in the state of California.
- Frisch’s Big Boy: Restaurant chiefs confirmed the closure of a restaurant in Covington, Kentucky in April.
- Outback Steakhouse: The chain will shutter 41 ‘underperforming’ locations this year.
- Two Bucks: Four restaurants in Ohio closed in April.
- Chili’s: A restaurant in Port Arthur, Texas, has shut permanently as well as one in Irvine, California, and one in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
- Friendly’s: Bosses confirmed an establishment in Ronkonkoma, Long Island will close.
- Pizza Hut: A restaurant in Glen Falls, New York, closed at the end of March, followed by four in Ohio in June and 15 in Indiana. This was followed in July by a bankruptcy filing from its parent company which announced the closure of 150 locations.
- Carl’s Jr.: The first Boise, Idaho location has closed.
- In-N-Out: An Oakland location closed earlier in the year due to crime in the area.
- Cheesecake Factory: The chain is set to shutter a location in Memphis, Tennessee in July.
- Applebee’s: Announced the closure of between 25 and 35 locations this year.
- Red Lobster: The seafood chain filed for bankruptcy in May and shuttered over 100 locations.
- Taco John’s: Shuttered a restaurant in Minnesota and put the building up for sale in May.
- Frisco’s Chicken: The poultry restaurant shuttered all of its locations over the summer
- Rubio’s Coastal Grill: Has announced the closure of 48 locations in California after filing for bankruptcy.
- Burger King: Shuttered a location in California in June after 30 years.
- Foster’s Freeze: Shuttered a location in California after five decades in business due to financial struggles.
- Chicken Salad Chick: After nine years the restaurant shuttered one location in Jacksonville, Florida, with no reason given.
- México Lindo: The New York City-based restaurant announced its final day after 52 years and finally shuttered its doors for good on July 31.
- American Dream Pizza: Closed all of its locations in Oregon in July.
- Tender Greens: The Southern California-based chain filed for bankruptcy.
- Lefty’s Famous Cheesesteaks, Hoagies, & Grill: Abruptly shuttered 18 locations in July due to a family feud.
- Firehouse Subs: Shuttered a location in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State over the summer citing “unforeseen circumstances”
- Taco Time: The Taco Bell rival shuttered a location in Seattle after 50 years following a death in the franchise owner’s family.
- Burgerim: Shuttered a location in Burlington, Massachusetts in July, reigniting bankruptcy fears from 2020.
- Denny’s: The chain has shuttered over 40 locations so far this year with the owner of the one outlet blaming vandalism.
- Starbucks: The chain shuttered one of its most iconic locations in New York City after almost three decades with fans blaming crime. It also lost a location in Seattle.
- Subway: In August, the sandwich chain shuttered over 20 locations across the US and Canada after a franchisee lost money after being a victim of fraud.
- IHOP: A restaurant in New Hampshire shut its doors after 24 years, leaving four locations in the state.
- Switchback Coffee Roasters: The popular chain filed for bankruptcy in August after over a decade in business.
- Jimmy John’s: The sandwich shop chain shuttered a location in Nevada on August 19 after 12 years citing overexpansion issues.
- KFC: Closed the remaining three locations in Rockford, Illinois all on the same day on August 19. In total, it closed six locations across four cities in Illinois.
- Rusty Bucket: The chicken shop chain confirmed it would officially leave Florida as it announced a handful of closures including in Sarasota and Ohio.
- Buca di Beppo: The Olive Garden rival abruptly shuttered 44 locations across five states before filing for bankruptcy.
- Red Robin: Announced the closure of its Ashburn, Virginia location on August 25 after 15 years in business.
- Noodles & Company: Shuttered dozens of locations due to their contribution to around $2 million worth of losses.
- Shoney’s: The classic American-style food chain founded in 1947 officially exited Ohio after three decades of business as it reduced its operational footprint.
- Homegrown: The sandwich chain based in Seattle announced the closure of 10 locations leaving 150 employees in the lurch.
- World of Beer: Filed for bankruptcy after closing 14 outlets.
- Arby’s: The chain announced a number of closures this year including in Lexington, Kentucky, Akron, Ohio,
- Uno Pizzeria & Grill: Shuttered a location in New Jersey in July, leaving just two in the state, followed by the closure of a Baltimore location in August.
- Hart House: Shutterd all four locations in California in September just two years after the vegan fast-food restaurant chain was launched by actor and comedian Kevin Hart.
“On one hand, it’s more expensive to operate restaurants due to higher wages and food costs,” he began.
“On the other hand, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to pass those higher operating expenses on to diners with ever-increasing menu prices.”
Pricey dining also has consumers limiting their spending.
“Consumers are starting to push back against the high cost of dining out by thinking twice about that appetizer or going to a restaurant in the first place,” said the expert.
Inflation is a driving factor behind many restaurant closures, but it has impacted different chains in various ways.
For example, chains like Outback and Applebee’s cited underperformance as the main reason for their closures, per Forbes.
Locations that don’t meet sales and profit standards are being closed.
Meanwhile, other chains like Boston Market, Red Lobster, and Tijuana Flats are closing due to financial instability, inability to pay bills, landlord disputes, and bankruptcy.
