Pizza Chains That Are Vanishing Across America

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Once upon a time, you couldn't walk into a strip mall, gas station, or airport food court without seeing at least one familiar pizza chain. Whether you were craving a New York-style white pizza or good old chicken-bacon ranch pizza, you were covered. But now, some well-known pizza chains have vanished from sight or are barely hanging on. The disappearance of some of these stores has partly to do with shifting consumer preferences and fast casual pizza competitors, as well as the lingering fallout from the pandemic. COVID-19 had a devastating impact on a lot of eateries that depended on in-restaurant customers, with some subsequently filing for bankruptcy after struggling to recover. Others have tried to adapt, launching the likes of mobile apps and delivery services to turn things around, only to find that these changes have come a bit too late. 

Pizza chains that used to be market leaders lost their positions. Store counts have gone down for some, while some brands now operate as smaller express outlets. Of course, this doesn't mean the end is nigh for pizza. Americans still love their cheesy, saucy slices. But it does mean that some long-time favorites are struggling to keep a seat at the table. Here are the pizza chains disappearing from the U.S. market in recent years, and some that are simply ticking time bombs.

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Once a pioneer in America's pizza and entertainment scene, Shakey's was founded in 1954 as the first franchise pizza chain in the U.S. It later expanded across the country, reaching its peak of over 340 locations in the late 1960s. The restaurant established itself as a popular destination through its arcade games and live music — not to mention its distinctive thin-crust pizzas and baskets of fried chicken, which attracted families for generations. However, its brand has had difficulties in maintaining its market position and store network in the past few years, causing its stores to shut down one by one. 

Today, Shakey's presence in the U.S. is limited to California and Washington. However, it is currently down to its last location in the latter, as the company continues to shut down locations without public announcement. The Fairwood, Renton restaurant was the final location in western Washington to close in 2024. Each closure typically brings back a flood of memories for those who spent their childhoods celebrating at the pizzeria. Past customers have taken to Reddit to share their stories about Shakey's as a cherished community hub over the years. As the brand fades, it leaves behind a strong emotional legacy — but a dwindling number of stores.

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Pizza Inn was founded in 1958 by brothers Joe and R.L. Spillman and grew into a popular Southern restaurant chain that served buffet pizza and maintained retro decorations before gradually declining over the years. The company experienced its highest point of popularity in the U.S. decades ago and has since quietly closed many of its locations. That includes restaurants in its hometown of Dallas, where the city's last remaining Pizza Inn came face-to-face with closure in early 2025 before a new franchisee intervened to save the establishment.

To its credit, Pizza Inn's parent company, Rave Restaurant Group, has tried to initiate a strategic plan to expand Pizza Inn. In 2023, it announced plans to test implementing Pizza Inn as a virtual brand through some locations of Pie Five, which it also owns. The idea was to try and take advantage of Pizza Inn's brand identity in areas without an actual Pizza Inn restaurant. In 2024, it also confirmed that it was working on reimagining some restaurants. While there have been some positive signs of growth, it currently has fewer than 80 restaurants — a far cry from its peak of 800.

Since first opening in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1974, Rocky Rococo has gained popularity through its thick-crust, pan-style slices, which attracted a devoted fan base in the Midwest. The company may have established itself as a regional favorite with affordable lunch promotions and distinctive square pizza slices, but it has gradually disappeared from the fast food pizza market in recent years.

The company has shut down numerous locations throughout Wisconsin, Washington, and other areas. At its peak in the 1980s, it had 120 locations, but it currently has only 30 left in Wisconsin and one in Minnesota. While customers have expressed their disappointment about Rocky Rococo closures over the years, some have also acknowledged that the quality just wasn't up to scratch compared to some of its contemporary rivals. It seems like rising competition has made it challenging for Rocky Rococo to maintain its position in the modern fast casual pizza market.

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Oath Pizza has always distinguished itself from its competitors through its commitment to thin grilled crusts, use of avocado oil, and eco-friendly branding. It opened its first store on Nantucket Island in 2015 before expanding to 17 company-owned locations across Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, California, and beyond by 2022. However, the company closed seven corporate locations in November 2023, leaving only its franchisee-owned locations in operation amid reports of a lawsuit filed against the former CEO by a group of investors.

Unfortunately, things went from bad to worse for Oath Pizza. The company declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy on October 22, 2024, and began liquidation procedures with assets worth less than $500,000 and up to $50 million in outstanding liabilities. The fallout was swift. Most locations were shuttered, with Heirloom Pizza taking over one former Oath Pizza restaurant at James Madison University in Virginia. Oath Pizza had experienced meteoric growth before its sudden disappearance from the market. Today, all that remains is one location in Poulsbo, Washington.

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California Pizza Kitchen (also known as CPK) launched its California-style pizza concept in 1985 and expanded to become a 250-unit casual dining chain at its peak. The chain gained popularity through its distinctive menu items, including barbecue chicken pizza (which was actually a California Pizza Kitchen invention), while establishing itself as a common dining spot in American malls and airports.

A combination of changing consumer preferences and decreasing mall customer traffic caused significant harm to the thriving business. Its dine-in model has struggled as customers increasingly turn to quicker, more inexpensive fast casual dining options. The COVID-19 pandemic delivered yet another blow to California Pizza Kitchen. With indoor dining restricted in 2020 and dine-in customers contributing nearly 80% of its sales, the chain saw a roughly 40% plunge in sales.

As a result, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 2020, having already accumulated $400 million in debt before the pandemic hit. The restructuring process reduced $220 million from its liabilities while forcing the closure of multiple restaurants. California Pizza Kitchen exited bankruptcy in November 2020 with reduced operations, but the path to recovery has been difficult as it continues to close an average of 10 locations per year. And customers have noticed. Reddit users have questioned the sudden closure of their local restaurants. This chain may have started out as a revolutionary California pizza pioneer, but it currently exists as a shadow of its former self.

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For years, Cicis operated as a top destination for customers who wanted unlimited pizza, pasta, salad, wings, and dessert at affordable prices. The company began its operations in Texas in 1985 before expanding its footprint to more than 500 locations throughout the 2000s. However, the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on the buffet model, which was the main attraction at Cicis restaurants. As a result, the chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early 2021, saddled with substantial liabilities before one of its lenders, D&G Investors, acquired the company.

Unfortunately, even this revival of Cicis restaurants hasn't protected all locations. In the following years, several franchisees have opted to close their stores. For example, the Cicis in North Naples, Florida, operated for almost 20 years before its owner decided against renewing the lease, which would have involved paying hundreds of thousands to upgrade the restaurant. Meanwhile, Cicis restaurants have also closed in Alabama and Tennessee.

Despite the chain's struggles, Cicis customers have shown plenty of support for Cicis on Reddit, sharing fond memories of its now-closed restaurants. One Naples user shared how people waited in line on the last day of operation for one last meal, with the restaurant proving so popular that it closed early after running out of food. You can currently find under 270 Cicis restaurants in the U.S., with the chain having evolved from a dominant buffet to a franchise network with a declining presence.

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Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom has closed a string of its locations in the U.S. in recent years, but was once famous for its beer selection and, of course, its signature pizzas. Founded in 1976, the chain had 60 locations across the country at one point. According to its website, it boasts just 54 restaurants at the time of writing. The chain's last Indiana location shut down in April 2025,  marking the end of the brand in the state. Old Chicago has also suffered setbacks in Colorado in 2025, while one of its South Carolina locations also shut down in December 2024. The restaurant management expressed gratitude to customers on Facebook, providing a warning a month before its closure. 

The growing list of closures points to an unfortunate possibility: Old Chicago is struggling to maintain its footing in a competitive casual dining market. This pattern of restaurant closures seems to suggest that Old Chicago is slimming down its operations, even though the company has not made any official announcements about mass closures.

Notably, Old Chicago's owner, SPB Hospitality, sold the chain to an affiliate of Kelly Companies in July 2025. SPB Hospitality had previously purchased Old Chicago from Craftworks Holdings in 2020 after the latter filed for bankruptcy. According to CEO Josh Kern, dropping Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom was part of its efforts to refine SPB's focus (via Restaurant Dive). "We're confident in the new ownership group's vision and believe Old Chicago is well-positioned for continued success," he said. Fingers crossed that this is the case.

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MOD Pizza introduced its custom build-your-own pizza concept and quick service model to the fast casual market in 2008, attracting fans who value customization and convenience. The company launched in 2008 before expanding rapidly to reach more than 500 locations across the U.S. during the early 2020s. It gained popularity through corporate values that put its people first, and its philanthropic activities, which differentiated it from other market competitors. But the chain has experienced major changes in the past few years. In the first quarter of 2024, MOD Pizza closed 25 restaurants in 10 states and Washington, D.C. It claimed that these restaurants — most of which were in California — were underperforming. By July 2024, it was reported that it had closed 44 restaurants that year. 

Even though rumors of a potential bankruptcy filing circulated, the company did not confirm or address them publicly. Instead, MOD Pizza was acquired by Elite Restaurant Group, a company known for buying struggling restaurant brands. Some customers took to social media in the midst of the turmoil to claim that MOD Pizza's food had simply dropped in quality in recent years. Similarly, some employees also shared mixed reviews about what it was really like to work for MOD Pizza in the run-up to its sale. The chain has since introduced a new pricing strategy, as well as simplified its menu, in an effort to maintain a strong market presence.

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Papa Murphy's is one of the largest take-and-bake pizza chains in the United States and operates about 1,000 locations. However, its current performance seems to signal trouble for the iconic eatery. In 2024, the chain closed 100 stores — most of which were franchises. It also closed 43 stores in 2023 and 72 in 2022, and has continued to close more in 2025.

While the chain used to stand out through its raw pizza delivery service, which customers cooked at home, the market has shifted in recent years, embracing third-party delivery services that can deliver cooked pizza in just a few clicks. Customers can also readily purchase high-quality frozen pizzas from their local grocery stores. This has significantly diminished the company's competitive advantage. While there are still plenty of people who feel passionate about Papa Murphy's pies, some customers have also questioned Papa Murphy's decision to focus more on its sides than on actual pizzas.

A Canadian franchisor, MTY Food Group, acquired ownership of Papa Murphy's in 2019. However, since this purchase, the brand has not experienced any substantial growth. While Papa Murphy's once succeeded by merging two failing businesses, it needs to come up with a backup plan to reinvent itself before it completely vanishes from the market.

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Blaze Pizza quickly carved out a niche in the fast casual pizza market with its made-to-order, customizable pies and blazing-hot ovens (hence the name). In fact, Blaze Pizza was specifically inspired by Chipotle's fast casual model for customizable, high-quality food. The fast-growing company launched in 2011 to become a favorite choice for Americans who want fresh and affordable artisan-style pizza served as quickly as possible. However, the flames of success have cooled for Blaze Pizza in recent years.

Several Blaze Pizza locations closed their doors in 2024 and 2025. This included the elimination of locations in Billings, Montana, Vestal and New Hartford, New York, and Wilmington, North Carolina, to mention a few. The unexpected disappearance of some of these Blaze Pizza locations has started online discussions about the uncertain future of the brand. 

Blaze Pizza once thrived with rapid growth and its celebrity backing (basketball legend LeBron James is an investor) and was considered a rising star in fast casual pizza. Now, however, Blaze faces a slow decline marked by uncertainty and fading customer confidence. In 2023, Blaze's store count in the U.S. experienced a 2.3% decline, dropping to 295 overall. Sales also dropped by 2.6% in 2024. It did, however, announce plans to continue its expansion in the summer of 2024. Perhaps there's still time to turn things around for this pizza giant.

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Bertucci's was founded in Somerville in 1981, and it was once a beloved staple of the Northeastern pizza and Italian dining scene, known for its brick-oven pizzas and casual family-friendly atmosphere. Although the chain experienced impressive expansion and had nearly 100 locations at one point, the past few years have proven extremely challenging for the chain. At the time of writing, there are just 14 Bertucci's restaurants left in the U.S., the majority of which are located in Massachusetts. 

Amidst its mass closures, the restaurant chain has filed for bankruptcy three times since 2018, signaling ongoing struggles to keep the ovens hot and the seats filled. Just some of the many Bertucci's locations lost over the years are a handful in its home state, as well as its last remaining New Jersey location, which closed in 2023.

Bertucci's most recent bankruptcy filing came in April 2025. The company has operated under an increasing debt burden while dealing with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the dining industry. It has suffered major financial difficulties because its dine-in customer numbers dropped, with sales declining by 62% between 2019 and 2024. Bertucci's has attempted to remedy its issues through a new fast casual concept known as Bertucci's Pronto, which was introduced in 2024 and relies more on takeout customers than in-store dining. With only a handful of locations left, here's hoping that Bertucci's revival efforts aren't too little, too late.