Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
A once-popular Middletown Township pizza and pasta restaurant abruptly closed its doors this week after its owner filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in just a few years.
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According to a former employee, the Bertucci’s Italian Restaurant on Middletown Boulevard by the Oxford Valley Mall abruptly closed this week due to financial troubles.
No staff were present Tuesday, but a sign posted on the door said the brick over pizza and pasta eatery is closed. A call to the number for the eatery indicated it was closed.
A request for comment to Bertucci’s Italian Restaurant main office was not immediately returned.
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According to trade publication Restaurant Business, Bertucci’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week after doing so the first time in 2018. At that time, 15 of Bertucci’s restaurants were shut down.
The chain restaurant claimed in a court filing that the pandemic and inflation caused a decline in sales and an increase in expenses. The company reported $97.9 million in sales last year but reported an operating loss of $14 million, according to the publication.
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The company is claiming in bankruptcy paperwork to owe near $50 million.
While the pandemic, inflation, and tight labor market have made operating a restaurant tough the past few years, many chain eateries have faced even more challenges in recent years as consumer habits change.
The Bensalem Township and Warrington Township Bertucci’s Italian Restaurant locations have closed in recent years.
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The sign on the Bertucci’s Italian Restaurant in Middletown Township on Tuesday directed customers to a location in Upper Moreland, Montgomery County.
Bertucci’s was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Boston. Prior to this week, it operated just under 50 locations.
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Bertucci’s is owned by Earl Enterprises, the owner of Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurants, Bravo! Italian Kitchen, and Planet Hollywood.
The closure comes shortly after Einstein Bros. Bagels shuttered their location in Middletown Township.
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