Avon, Newington Bertucci's Restaurants Close

AVON/NEWINGTON, CT — A Massachusetts-based Italian eatery chain has, reportedly, filed for bankruptcy and it has been confirmed that restaurants in Avon and Newington are now closed.

Bertucci's Brick Oven Pizza & Pasta has recently shut down restaurant locations in those two Connecticut towns, making the Glastonbury location the lone Bertucci's in Connecticut.

The company had operated restaurants at 2929 Berlin Turnpike, Newington, and 380 W. Main St., Avon.

Phone calls to both locations late Tuesday morning confirmed the bad news for pizza and pasta lovers.

"We are very sorry that your favorite location has closed," read a robotic voice, identifying the Newington and Avon phone numbers as now being "closed restaurant" hotlines.

On Monday, Restaurant Business, a restaurant industry trade publication and website, reported Bertucci's had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, stating that the chain had 47 operations.

As of Tuesday morning, however, the Bertucci's website listed only 31 restaurants in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Virginia.

Restaurant Business reports the company cited falling sales caused by the pandemic and post-pandemic inflation issues, resulting in Bertucci's seeking federal bankruptcy protection, something it undertook in 2018 as well.

Bertucci's was founded in 1981 in Somerville, Mass., according to the company's website.

It specializes in having a brick oven in the center of the restaurant, so folks could see their pizza and food cooked in the open.

Like many chains, however, Bertucci's has struggled in an industry ravaged by the pandemic and changes in American dining habits.

In recent weeks, other chains in Connecticut have shuttered sites in many locations, including Denny's and 99.

For the full Restaurant Business report, click on this link.

For more information on Bertucci's, click on this link.