Uninvited friends have just popped by, passing through the neighborhood, and it’s around dinnertime. What can you do? Order pizza, of course.

For many people, this is the simplest, most convenient thing to do. Everyone loves pizza, which is why more than three billion are sold annually in the United States. If we take into account frozen pizzas, that number climbs to an incredible four billion, according to Silicon Valley Pizza Week. 

Despite their popularity, pizza chains around the country face challenges, just like many other restaurants and fast-food chains. It seems that every other day, there’s another headline announcing a bankruptcy or a closure. 

“In 2024, the pizza segment struggled significantly, with Technomic’s Top 500 Restaurants data showing 61% of pizza chains experienced declining sales,” according to Nation’s Restaurant News. 

Some of the biggest pizza chains that have closed locations in recent years include: 

  • Papa Murphy’s 
  • Oath Pizza
  • MOD Pizza
  • Bertucci’s
  • Domino’s
  • Pizza Hut  

In the latest news, a 50-year-old local pizza chain has suddenly closed all of its locations. 

Popular pizza chain Gina Maria’s Pizza has abruptly closed all of its stores.

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Gina Maria’s Pizza suddenly closed all of its restaurants

A popular pizza chain with a long tradition and four locations in the Twin Cities suburbs of Minnesota, Gina Maria’s Pizza has abruptly closed all of its establishments, reported Bring Me The News. 

On the Gina Maria’s Pizza official website, a note states: 

“After many wonderful years of serving our community, we want to share the difficult news that Gina Maria’s Pizza has officially closed its doors.” 

The pizza place was founded in 1975 as a small 450-square-foot fine-dining family restaurant in Minnetonka (Glen Lake area), Minnesota. Over the years, it grew by making custom-made pizzas one at a time. 

Gina’s Maria Pizza’s strategy focused on providing high-quality pizzas at reasonable prices. Its menu contained a wide variety of pizzas, including simple subs, cheesy bread, and custom-made pizzas. 

The decision did not come easily. We’re proud of what we built together and will always cherish the relationships formed over hot pizzas, warm smiles, and great conversation. Thank you for being part of Gina Maria’s family. It has truly been our honor to serve you. 

Gina Maria’s Pizza statement

The chain had four restaurants in Chanhassen, Plymouth, Edina, and Eden Prairie.  While the official statement didn’t specifically say that each of the four locations is closed, each restaurant’s phone number confirms it by playing a recorded message saying it is closed.

Gina Maria’s closed without warning, but showed possible signs of stress

To the public, the decision to close Gina Maria’s Pizza seemed sudden, as there was no prior warning. In fact, the chain recently promoted specials. 

Although it didn’t disclose any reasons for this difficult decision, economic challenges may have played a role. 

Related: Popular Mexican fast-food chain quietly closes multiple restaurants

One possible sign of the pizza chain’s struggles in the harsh economic climate came earlier this year, when one location (Edina) shifted to delivery only, likely to lower its expenses. 

Without the classic dining space, restaurant operational expenses are significantly lower. 

For example, one popular fast-casual restaurant chain, Lemonade, recently closed its last San Francisco Bay Area location as part of a new strategy. The chain is transitioning into a ghost kitchen (delivery-only) that operates out of its sister restaurant. 

Today’s restaurants have a lot on their plates: rising food and labor expenses driven by inflation, aggressive competition, and ever-changing customer preferences. Even restaurants with decades-long traditions have been forced to make a difficult decision and shut their doors. 

Although statistics indicate that Americans, on average, consume 23 pounds of pizza per person each year, the pizza industry has recently seen several chain closures.  

Retail expert and TheStreet Co-Editor-in-Chief Daniel Kline says pizza chains are also vulnerable to all of the issues that impact any restaurant.

“Many restaurant chains shut down locations during 2024. The whys are varied, but inflation almost certainly led the way, with wages, ingredient costs and other expenses increasing while cost-conscious consumers dined out or spent less,” FranchiseWire shared. 

Consumers are dining less for a good reason: Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reveal that eating at a restaurant became 3.8% more expensive in May 2025 compared to 2024. 

Gina Maria’s Pizza customers disappointed 

While many people were forced to tighten their wallets and dine out less, Gina Maria’s Pizza customers were very disappointed about the closures. The news came during October, which has been celebrated as National Pizza Month in the U.S. since 1984.  

“Geez. This hits. Not THE BEST pizza in town, but consistently reliable. The slice deal for lunch will go down for some of the best quick lunches of my day,” wrote Reddit user l33fty. 

Related: Once-popular Las Vegas store will close forever

 Some users who saw Gina’s as their staple are very sad about the closures. 

A longtime customer, user OwlImpressive2931, wrote:

“ 🙁 This was my childhood pizza. I loved the NY shake seasoning there.” 

User TheRealTelegramSam was curious to find out what spices Gina Maria’s Pizza used in their tomato sauce, because they “always loved the little kick it had.” 

For Immediate_Trainer_69 shared:

This is [the] worst news in Twin Cities restaurant news in a long time.

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