A LOVED restaurant has suddenly closed 13 locations across the US, with hundreds of employees discovering they are out of work.
Many food chains have fallen on hard times due to the state of the economy, forcing them to close permanently.
Buca di Beppo, a well-known Italian restaurant chain, surprised customers and its employees by closing several locations across the country.
The chain was known for its vintage decor and large family-style portions.
It closed locations in California and Florida and its last remaining restaurants in Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Customers only found out about the closure through a memo on the restaurant’s website website.
While some, including a location in Sacramento, California, had a sign posted on the front door.
“We are grateful to you, our faithful guests, for giving us the opportunity to serve you,” the sign read.
“It is with great appreciation and gratitude that we thank you for all the years.”
This location opened in 1999 and was a community landmark.
“Just knowing that this place has been open so long and is closing…it’s a big deal,” Jayden Seizmore, a former employee, told the local Fox affiliate. KTXL-TV.
Seizmore said he and the other workers had no idea the closure was coming and only learned about it through an “emergency meeting.”
“Being able to work here and have the experience I had here, it’s really sad that it ended abruptly,” said Rozalyn Marc-Aurele, who worked at the Sacramento location for four years.
“It’s very disheartening to see it all come to an end.”
The reason for Sacramento’s closure was not given, but the property was put up for sale by real estate agency Cushman and Wakefield.
The 8,550-square-foot space costs $3.6 million, according to the company.
“After being part of this community for 25 years, unfortunately, Buca di Beppo in Sacramento has closed,” a spokesperson for the restaurant told KTXL-TV.
“We thank our customers for their loyalty – it has been our privilege to be the setting for countless meetings and celebrations over the past two decades.”
Restaurant Closings in 2024
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BOSSes of major restaurant chains have announced a series of restaurant closures. The US Sun has compiled a list of those affected by the network.
- Biscuit Barrel: Stores in Medford, Oregon, Columbia, South Carolina and Sacramento, California, closed.
- Mod Pizza: Bosses drastically closed 27 stores, including in the state of California.
- Frisch’s Big Boy: Restaurant bosses have confirmed the closure of a restaurant in Covington, Kentucky.
- Two dolars: Four restaurants in Ohio are set to close.
- Pepper: A restaurant in Port Arthur, Texas, has closed permanently.
- Friendly: Bosses have confirmed that an establishment in Ronkonkoma, Long Island, will close.
- Pizza Hut: A restaurant in Glen Falls, New York, closed at the end of March.
- Danny: Two restaurants in Boise and Nampa, Idaho, have closed.
- Carl’s Jr.: The first location in Boise, Idaho, has closed.
Other affected locations included Livonia, Michigan; Colonia, Florida and Spring Township, Pennsylvania and other restaurants in Maryland, Ohio and Hawaii.
The restaurant released a statement blaming the closures for being “unable to recover from the damage caused by the pandemic and other market pressures.”
Buca di Beppo was founded in 1993 in Florida and has been a subsidiary of the Planet Hollywood chain since 2008.
There are 44 Buca di Beppo locations remaining in the U.S., but more than a decade ago, when the brand was at its peak, there were 80 restaurants.
US Sun has reached out to Buca di Beppo for comment.
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