46-year-old Italian chain in bankruptcy closed most restaurants

Back in 1981, pizza places that also served fancier Italian dishes were somewhat rare. In Boston, you could go to high-end, traditional Italian restaurants in the city's famed North End, but pizza was not generally on their menus.

Yes, that neighborhood had some fabulous pizza places I visited with friends and family in the 80s. And although not unheard of, it was not that common for pizza to be on the same menu as pasta dishes and other Italian entrees.

When Bertucci's opened in Somerville, Mass., in 1981, the soon-to-be-chain delivered something different. It was a classic brick-oven pizzeria that also offered a full sit-down Italian lunch and dinner menu alongside its signature bocce courts.

That was the first place I ever played bocce and probably the first time I was ever handed a ball of dough to play with before my meal. (That later became something just for young kids, but it was something I got to experience in the late 80s with my high school friends.)

The chain offered something different, a higher-end experience where you could order a pizza or a pasta dish, alongside classics like chicken parmigiana and some of its own takes on Italian classics.

That was a recipe for success, at least for a while, and Bertucci's grew up and down the East Coast to over 100 locations at its height.

For the chain, however, the fall was rapid, and after three Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings, the third of which has not been resolved, the chain has only 12 locations 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 creditors would be paid off, according to a 28-page disclosure statement filed by the company in August.

• Under the proposed plan, Bertucci's largest creditor, PHL Holdings LLC, which holds a $23.264 million secured claim against substantially all company assets, would retain its lien and receive monthly interest payments over a 60-month term.
• The plan maintains PHL's security position while allowing the company to continue operations and service the debt through operational cash flow.
• A smaller equipment financing claim held by Ameris Bank d/b/a Balboa Capital Corporation, totaling $69,664, would be satisfied through 53 monthly payments of $1,306.37 beginning the month after the plan's effective date.

Unsecured creditors, however, will not fare as well.

• These creditors, whose claims are estimated at approximately $2.5 million, would receive pro rata distributions exclusively from proceeds of selling a liquor license in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, with total distributions capped at $200,000.
• The disclosure statement notes the license is currently listed for sale.

"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. stated in the filing.

Bertucci's Chapter 11 bankruptcy timeline

• April 15, 2018: Bertucci’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the first time. It closed 15 locations. At the time, the company owed about US$9 million to suppliers and about US$110 million to financial lenders, according to Nation's Restaurant News.
• June 2018: The chain was acquired by Earl Enterprises for roughly US$20 million, Boston Magazine reported.
• 2019: The chain still did about US$120 million in annual sales, according to FSR Magazine.
• December 2022: Bertucci’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time. The company cited the impacts of the Covid pandemic, inflation, increased costs, and declining sales. At the time of the filing, the chain had shrunk to fewer restaurants, shared Restaurant Dive.
• Post‑2022 closures: As part of that second bankruptcy restructuring, multiple underperforming locations were closed (including several in Massachusetts and elsewhere), reducing the chain’s footprint, FSR Magazine reported.
• April 24, 2025: Bertucci’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for a third time in seven years, according to filings on PacerMonitor.
• New strategy: launch of Bertucci's Pronto: As part of the 2025 restructuring, the company introduced a fast‑casual “Pronto” concept. The first Bertucci’s Pronto opened in Boston (at 22 Tremont Street) just before the bankruptcy filing, FSR Magazine reported.
• Post‑2025 restructuring: According to the bankruptcy filings, the company renegotiated leases, cut operational costs where possible, and planned to focus on remaining high-performing sit-down locations plus the new fast‑casual concept, according to documents filed with Stretto.

What's next for Bertucci's?

The chain has closed nearly 90% of its locations. It now has nine locations in Massachusetts, as well as one each in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Bertucci's has pinned a lot of its hopes on its new fast-casual Pronto brand.

"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 is also hurt by current economic conditions.

"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 Economic Magazine reported.

Increases have been an ongoing trend.

"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 magazine shared.

Bertucci's survival ultimately depends upon whether the court accepts its turnaround plan. The company argues in its court filing that doing so would be better for creditors than a forced 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.

Related: Pioneering national pizza chain files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy