Major Pizza Chain with over 100 New York Locations Announces Abrupt Closures

Another titan in the food industry may be calling it quits several stores were suddenly closed without alerting staff, with rumors spreading that there's more to come.

New York has seen a fair share of retail chains permanently shut their doors this year alone.

Here in Central New York, Retro Fitness in Yorkville ceased operations on May 22, and a few days after that, Wheelock Rides out of Syracuse announced it is going out of business. These closures were joined by Freihofer's bakery in Verona, as well as BNY Mellon pulling out of Oriskany Business Park.

Read More: Major Financial Company Closes CNY Location, Layoffs Included

The food industry hasn't been faring much better with both Red Lobster and Applebees closing restaurants nationwide.

Grocery chains are also struggling, with Stop & Shop confirming it'll begin shuttering "underperforming" locations while Shop Rite has already started culling Upstate New York locations.

Now, the grim reaper of retail is now coming for Pizza Hut, which has already closed several locations across the area in recent years.

With only two locations left serving the immediate Central New York area and a few others near Syracuse, things aren't looking great for stuffed crust lovers.

Pizza Hut just announced the abrupt closure of 15 locations across the United States and employees have already told media outlets they weren't alerted of the closures beforehand.

Apparently, this recent wave of closures is due to an ongoing financial dispute with one of their biggest franchisees, EYM, according to Eat This, Not That. The franchisee, which operates 144 Pizza Hut restaurants in five states, is being sued by the pizza company for allegedly not paying millions in unpaid bills.

Rumors are already flying that 129 more Pizza Huts will close forever, but New Yorkers can breathe a sigh of relief because reports claim the affected restaurants are also owned by EYM, which are in Georgia, Illinois, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.

However, these are merely reports and the above hasn't been confirmed by the company or the franchisee.

Pizza Hut currently operates more than 6,700 locations in the United States, but it still culled an alarming number of franchises in recent years. The chain closed 300 locations in 2020 alone and the pandemic also forced the chain to slam the brakes on expansion.

A recent report by Restaurant Business went in-depth about what triggered Pizza Hut's latest woes and why it's not out of the woods.

In a time where numerous restaurant chains are struggling through a pandemic-era pullback, rising costs, and an increasing number of Americans choosing to cook at home rather than dine out - it may be only a matter of time before inflation out-pizzas the hut.

Would you be upset if Pizza Hut closed its last remaining locations in Central New York? More importantly, how many times have you eaten at Pizza Hut over the last year?

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