Bertucci's In Darien Suddenly Closes Its Doors

DARIEN, CT — After decades in business, Bertucci's, an Italian restaurant chain that offers pizza and Italian dishes, has closed its doors at 54 Post Road in Darien.

The closure came suddenly and with barely any fanfare, save for a brief announcement on a letter-sized piece of paper taped to a side entrance door.

"We are thankful to you, our loyal guests, for giving us the opportunity to serve you," the sign read. "It's with great appreciation and gratitude that we say thank you for all the years."

A recorded message announcing the closure plays when trying to reach the restaurant by phone.

Several people looking for lunch on Monday afternoon pulled into the empty parking lot and walked up to the entrance to find the doors locked.

"We've been coming here for years," said Anna Leung, a Stamford resident, who noted her grandchildren particularly loved eating at Bertucci's. "This is sad."

Gimbels Pon, Leung's son-in-law, recalled numerous special occasions and celebrations his family had at the restaurant over the years

On the Darien Patch Facebook page, a local resident said he's going to miss Bertucci's Pucillo Pizza - a thin crust pie with pepperoni, sweet Italian sausage, mushrooms, peppers, onions, housemade tomato sauce, pecorino romano and mozzarella cheese.

The menu features traditional starters and salads, along with Italian entrees and brick oven pizza and pasta dishes.

According to their website, Bertucci's opened its first kitchen in 1981 in the Davis Square neighborhood of Somerville, Mass.

After a few years of expansion in Massachusetts, Bertucci's began to open locations from Maine down to Florida, and as far west as Illinois, in the 1990's.

Years later in 2018, the restaurant chain filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. At the time, there were eight locations in Connecticut, and three closed shortly after the bankruptcy announcement.

That same year, Florida-based Earl Enterprises, which owns Planet Hollywood, purchased the Bertucci's franchise for $20 million, The Boston Globe reported.

Now with Darien's closure, only the Avon, Glastonbury and Newington locations remain in Connecticut. In total, there are 49 locations stretching from as far south as Springfield, Va., up to Manchester, N.H., the chain's website shows.

Patch reached out to Bertucci's for comment but did not immediately hear back.