Pizzeria Locale Is Closing All Stores Outside of Colorado

Chipotle on Wednesday announced its latest big business move: The chain will close up to 65 national locations, with many of them shuttering within the next month. Included in the closures are five fast-casual Pizzeria Locale stores in Kansas City and Cincinnati. That leaves two remaining Pizzerias in Denver as well as the original, owned by Frasca Food & Wine and located in Boulder.

“Effective June 27, we are permanently closing all locations in Cincinnati and Kansas City to better focus on growth in our hometown of Denver,” Pizzeria Locale chef and co-owner Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson said in a press release. The brand has no plans to close its remaining Colorado stores, and a representative says new Denver-area locations are now being scouted.

Originally created in 2011 in Boulder by Frasca Food & Wine owners Mackinnon-Patterson and Bobby Stuckey, Pizzeria Locale opened its first Denver location five years ago in collaboration with Chipotle. Under the new partnership, it spread to the Midwest starting in 2015, with plans to follow Chipotle’s expansion formula. The closures now coincide with Chipotle’s changing business strategy under new CEO Brian Niccol. Chipotle is also moving its headquarters from Colorado to California and introducing new menu items like chocolate milkshakes and avocado tostadas.

• Chipotle is closing dozens of locations in the next month [Business Insider]
• Previous Coverage of Chipotle [EDEN]
• How Chipotle and Pizzeria Locale Pulled Off Their Secret Partnership [EDEN]
• All Coverage of Pizzeria Locale [EDEN]