Just days until Chipotle closes 5 locations as it remains silent on decision to shut all 'spin off' restaurants in state

CHIPOTLE Mexican Grill has made the decision to shutter all of its pizza shops.

Back in 2013, the fast casual brand opened five Pizzeria Locale shops in Denver, Colorado.

Chipotle purchased the brand back in 2013Credit: Reuters

However, Chipotle just announced that it is closing down all shops on Monday, July 10 and will completely liquidate the business.

"We have made the decision to close all five Pizzeria Locale restaurants on July 10 and dissolve the business," said Laurie Schalow, chief corporate affairs officer with Chipotle Mexican Grill.

"Impacted employees have been extended employment opportunities at Chipotle restaurants in the Denver area,” she added.

Chipotle has not mentioned the reason it has decided to close down all restaurants.

WHAT IS PIZZERIA LOCALE?

In December 2023, Colorado restaurateurs Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson quietly announced that they had partnered with the large brand to become "the Chipotle of pizza."

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The format in each Pizzeria Locale was similar to that of Chipotle: you walk into a service line, select your toppings, and receive your order all for an affordable price.

Each pizza was cooked in just minutes as every store had high-temperature ovens.

Plus, the average price for the 10-inch pies was around $6.50.

Customers could also order sides like salads, meatballs and sliced prosciutto.

Pizzeria Locale was not the only company delivering this idea, others like Pie Five Pizza Co., Your Pie, MOD Pizza, PizzaRev, and Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza, all took up similar space.

CHIPOTLE CHANGES

Back in April, the company announced plans to introduce a double-sided grill in at least 10 of its Chipotle restaurants.

After a year of success in one chain, the new grills will launch in 10 more.

This will allow customers to grab their orders quicker while cooking meats at a much more precise temperature.

Because of this, items with chicken will not get dried out, chief financial officer of Chipotle, Jack Hartung, told Yahoo! Finance.

"Our strong performance in the first quarter confirms that our focus on getting back to the basics and re-establishing Chipotle's standards of excellence is beginning to drive results," Brian Niccol chairman and chief executive officer of Chipotle said recent earnings call.