"The parent company of Pieology, the California-headquartered pizza chain once backed by former Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, according to Business Insider. The news comes after a wave of restaurant closures for the personalized pizza chain over the past few years. Carl Chang, the brother of tennis star Michael Chang, founded Pieology in Fullerton in 2011, and the company is now headquartered in Irvine."
"While Pieology had 103 restaurants at the end of 2024, it is now down to just 45 across the country, according to Restaurant Business. The pandemic caused Pieology's decline, reported Restaurant Business. In court documents, Chang blamed its recent underperformance on "severe disruption due to the pandemic and subsequent economic environment, including labor shortages, inflationary cost pressure and rapidly shifting consumer behavior." SFGATE reached out to Pieology for comment but did not hear back in time for publication. Durant invested in the pizza chain in 2017. "I went to a one of them and saw how quickly they did it and was really impressed with the quality," Durant told ESPN of Pieology at the time. "I just felt like, given how fast our lives our these days, we don't want to wait for our pizza anymore." Pieology is known as the "Chipotle of pizzas," as customers can build their own fast-casual personalized pizzas. Customers stand in line to pick which sauces and toppings they want, and their thin crust pizzas are then cooked in minutes. With the bankruptcy filing, Pieology plans to streamline and focus on its most promising locations, reported Restaurant Business."
Pieology's parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy following a wave of restaurant closures and a drop from 103 locations at the end of 2024 to 45 nationwide. Founder Carl Chang attributed the decline to pandemic disruption, labor shortages, inflationary cost pressures and rapidly shifting consumer behavior. The chain offers build-your-own fast-casual pizzas and gained a high-profile investor when Kevin Durant invested in 2017. Media outreach seeking comment received no timely response. The company plans to streamline operations and focus on its most promising locations amid ongoing economic pressures.
Read at SFGATE
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