Again in 1981, pizza locations that additionally served fancier Italian dishes have been considerably uncommon. In Boston, you might go to high-end, conventional Italian eating places within the metropolis’s famed North Finish, however pizza was not usually on their menus.
Sure, that neighborhood had some fabulous pizza locations I visited with family and friends within the 80s. And though not unprecedented, it was not that frequent for pizza to be on the identical menu as pasta dishes and different Italian entrees.
When Bertucci’s opened in Somerville, Mass., in 1981, the soon-to-be-chain delivered one thing completely different. It was a traditional brick-oven pizzeria that additionally supplied a full sit-down Italian lunch and dinner menu alongside its signature bocce courts.
That was the primary place I ever performed bocce and possibly the primary time I used to be ever handed a ball of dough to play with earlier than my meal. (That later grew to become one thing only for younger youngsters, nevertheless it was one thing I obtained to expertise within the late 80s with my highschool mates.)
The chain supplied one thing completely different, a higher-end expertise the place you might order a pizza or a pasta dish, alongside classics like hen parmigiana and a few of its personal takes on Italian classics.
That was a recipe for achievement, at the least for some time, and Bertucci’s grew up and down the East Coast to over 100 places at its peak.
For the chain, nonetheless, the autumn was speedy, and after three Chapter 11 chapter filings, the third of which has not been resolved, the chain has solely 12 places in our states left.
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Bertucci’s fights for survival
“Bertucci’s Restaurants LLC has filed a comprehensive disclosure statement with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida outlining its proposed reorganization plan, which would allow the Italian restaurant chain to emerge from Chapter 11 protection with a dramatically restructured business model focused on fast-casual dining expansion,” Chapter11Cases.com reported.
Some collectors could be paid off, in line with a 28-page disclosure assertion filed by the corporate in August.
- Below the proposed plan, Bertucci’s largest creditor, PHL Holdings LLC, which holds a $23.264 million secured declare in opposition to considerably all firm belongings, would retain its lien and obtain month-to-month curiosity funds over a 60-month time period.
- The plan maintains PHL’s safety place whereas permitting the corporate to proceed operations and repair the debt by means of operational money circulate.
- A smaller tools financing declare held by Ameris Financial institution d/b/a Balboa Capital Company, totaling $69,664, could be happy by means of 53 month-to-month funds of $1,306.37 starting the month after the plan’s efficient date.
Unsecured collectors, nonetheless, won’t fare as nicely.
- These collectors, whose claims are estimated at roughly $2.5 million, would obtain professional rata distributions completely from proceeds of promoting a liquor license in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, with complete distributions capped at $200,000.
- The disclosure assertion notes the license is presently listed on the market.
“The debtor believes the Plan provides the best means currently available for its emergence from Chapter 11 and the best recoveries possible for Holders of claims and interests,” attorneys R. Scott Shuker and Lauren L. Stricker of Shuker & Dorris, P.A. acknowledged within the submitting.
Bertucci’s was an early adopter of utilizing non-traditional pizza toppings.
r&interval;classen/Shutterstock
Bertucci’s Chapter 11 chapter timeline
- April 15, 2018: Bertucci’s filed for Chapter 11 chapter safety for the primary time. It closed 15 places. On the time, the corporate owed about US$9 million to suppliers and about US$110 million to monetary lenders, in line with Nation’s Restaurant Information.
- June 2018: The chain was acquired by Earl Enterprises for roughly US$20 million, Boston Journal reported.
- 2019: The chain nonetheless did about US$120 million in annual gross sales, in line with FSR Journal.
- December 2022: Bertucci’s filed for Chapter 11 chapter safety for the second time. The corporate cited the impacts of the Covid pandemic, inflation, elevated prices, and declining gross sales. On the time of the submitting, the chain had shrunk to fewer eating places, shared Restaurant Dive.
- Publish‑2022 closures: As a part of that second chapter restructuring, a number of underperforming places have been closed (together with a number of in Massachusetts and elsewhere), decreasing the chain’s footprint, FSR Journal reported.
- April 24, 2025: Bertucci’s filed for Chapter 11 chapter for a 3rd time in seven years, in line with filings on PacerMonitor.
- New technique: launch of Bertucci’s Pronto: As a part of the 2025 restructuring, the corporate launched a quick‑informal “Pronto” idea. The primary Bertucci’s Pronto opened in Boston (at 22 Tremont Road) simply earlier than the chapter submitting, FSR Journal reported.
- Publish‑2025 restructuring: In keeping with the chapter filings, the corporate renegotiated leases, reduce operational prices the place attainable, and deliberate to concentrate on remaining high-performing sit-down places plus the brand new quick‑informal idea, in line with paperwork filed with Stretto.
What’s subsequent for Bertucci’s?
The chain has closed almost 90% of its places. It now has 9 places in Massachusetts, in addition to one every in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
Bertucci’s has pinned plenty of its hopes on its new fast-casual Pronto model.
“Pronto features a range of breakfast items, sandwiches, and other quick bites, like pizza by the slice, while retaining many of Bertucci’s signature pies. The strategy seems sound, but has been attempted by several other sit-down restaurant chains without much success. Furthermore, back in 2012, Bertucci’s tried to attract a then-young millennial clientele with a spin-off brand called 2ovens, which failed to catch on,” Mashed reported.
The chain’s path to a comeback can be damage by present financial circumstances.
“For the first time in years, grocery hauls are getting bigger as consumers opt to buy more food for home cooking. According to federal data, grocery prices have increased by 1.1% over the past year, while the cost of restaurant meals has grown by 4.1%. Despite the slower rise in grocery prices compared to restaurant prices, both are still significantly higher than in recent years due to cumulative inflation,” World Financial Journal reported.
Will increase have been an ongoing development.
“Since mid-2020, the cost of groceries has surged by 19%, while restaurant prices have jumped nearly 24%. This substantial increase is prompting many Americans to recalibrate their spending, choosing to splurge on higher-quality groceries instead of frequenting restaurants,” the journal shared.
Bertucci’s survival in the end relies upon upon whether or not the courtroom accepts its turnaround plan. The corporate argues in its courtroom submitting that doing so could be higher for collectors than a compelled Chapter 7 liquidation.
“The company’s liquidation analysis, also filed with the disclosure statement, demonstrates that unsecured creditors would receive nothing in a Chapter 7 liquidation scenario, as the estimated $1.8 million in liquidation proceeds would be insufficient to cover the $24.6 million in secured debt and priority claims ahead of general unsecured creditors,” Stretto reported.
Associated: Pioneering nationwide pizza chain recordsdata for Chapter 11 chapter
