Milford D'Angelo's Among Dozens Shuttered Abruptly

MILFORD, MA—On Sunday morning, startled employees and pizza lovers were shocked to learn that Papa Gino's, and also D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches, abruptly closed dozens of its shops across New England overnight.

Social media and signs on businesses indicated several Massachusetts locations had closed on Sunday.

Patch confirmed that D'Angelo's at 138 South Main St. (Route 140), Milford, was among the closed restaurants. Papa Gino's at 42 Cape Road remains open.

In total, 68 Massachusetts restaurants were closed according to court reports.

"The company made the difficult decision to close 95 restaurants – 178 restaurants remain open and are thriving," spokesperson Rick Wilner told Patch on Monday.

A day after dozens of stores abruptly closed, Papa Gino's Pizza filed for bankruptcy and announced that its parent company has been sold.

On Monday, the parent company, Papa Gino's Holdings Corporation, which also owns D'Angelo's Grilled Sandwiches restaurants, announced it had been sold to a Wynnchurch Capital portfolio company, only a day after shuttering 95 locations around the region.

"We regret having to abruptly close the restaurants without notice but were unable to share information until the proposed sale transaction was finalized," said Chief Financial Officer Corey Wendland.

The Dedham based pizza chain was founded in 1961 in East Boston, then called Piece O' Pizza. Its name changed in 1968, and its parent company also owns D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches.

Photo Credit: Charlene Arsenault