Bertucci’s files for bankruptcy, closes five Mass. locations
A spokesperson cited "severe setbacks" due to the pandemic.
The Italian restaurant chain Bertucci’s experienced serious setbacks this week—filing for bankruptcy and closing a string of locations.
Known for its brick-oven pizzas and pastas, the Somerville-born business filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Dec. 5, while shutting down five of its Massachusetts spots, according to a company representative. Though Bertucci’s filed for bankruptcy in 2018, the company was sold later that year, making this the first time Bertucci’s Holdings LLC has filed, the representative said.
When Bertucci’s filed for bankruptcy in 2018, the chain closed 15 locations, threatened by the rise of several fast-casual restaurants, Boston.com reported. Although the chain experienced a change in ownership within the last four years, it has continued to face hardships.
“Although a difficult business decision, Bertucci’s Holdings LLC invested a significant amount of money since taking ownership in 2018 and unfortunately experienced severe setbacks due to COVID. The restaurants that have been closed were closed due to their substantial losses,” the representative wrote in an email to Boston.com.
Bertucci’s has 20 locations that remain open in Massachusetts, the representative confirmed. In the country, 31 restaurant locations are still operating business as usual. According to the Boston Globe, the Massachusetts spots that shuttered were in Beverly, Brockton, Canton, Marlborough, and North Attleboro. In addition, ten more locations closed in five other states on Monday.
The spokesperson said that the company is taking steps to protect employees impacted by the closures. The staffers will be given the chance to work at Bertucci’s restaurants that are still open, and if a transfer is not possible, “managers are working with employees for other employment opportunities.”
“All the employees were offered the opportunity to transfer, and every effort is being made to transfer as many employees as possible to Bertucci’s locations that remain open,” the representative wrote.
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