Chipotle Will Close All Pizzeria Locale Locations on July 10

For a decade, Pizzeria Locale has been a local favorite for quick, affordable, customizable pies. But after July 10, the brand will no longer exist. According to a statement from Laurie Schalow, chief corporate affairs officer for Chipotle Mexican Grill, "We have made the decision to close all five Pizzeria Locale restaurants on July 10 and dissolve the business. Impacted employees have been extended employment opportunities at Chipotle restaurants in the Denver area."

Boulder's Pizzeria Locale was transformed earlier this year into Pizzeria Alberico. That location was the original Pizzeria Locale; Bobby Stuckey and Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson, the team behind one of the state's best fine-dining restaurants, Frasca Food and Wine, opened the Neapolitan pizzeria with a wood-fired oven next door in 2011. Pizzeria Locale was a fast hit, so people were rightfully excited when it arrived in Denver, opening at 550 Broadway a decade ago.

But this location was different: It was a fast-casual spin-off of the original that happened to be located in a strip mall that was also home to a Chipotle. Eventually, news broke that the Denver-born company-turned fast-casual giant had quietly partnered with the Frasca team on a plan to grow Pizzeria Locale.
While Frasca Hospitality Group (FHG) retained ownership of the original in Boulder, the Pizzeria Locale locations that followed fell under the Chipotle umbrella, though Stuckey and Mackinnon-Patterson were still involved. The chain expanded, adding an outpost in the Highland neighborhood in 2014. It also opened out-of-state locations in Cincinnati and Kansas City, but in 2018, the decision was made to shut those in order "to better focus on growth in our hometown of Denver,” Mackinnon-Patterson said at the time.

After that, Pizzeria Locale added locations in Central Park and at the Ninth Avenue and Colorado Boulevard complex; in January, the fifth opened in Greenwood Village. But the big, Chipotle-like expansion never came, and now the brand is disappearing altogether.

Chipotle did not reply to a request for comment on why the call was made to close the stores; an FHG spokesperson confirms that neither Stuckey nor Mackinnon-Patterson has been involved in Pizzeria Locale's day-to-day operations for "about a year."
Last December, FHG announced that it would be temporarily closing the original Pizzeria Locale in Boulder for a rebrand. The refreshed space debuted in February as Pizzeria Alberico, after the maiden name of Stuckey's wife, Dannette. (It was her family that originally brought the couple to Boulder, and the concept is an homage to them as well as the city of Naples.)

While the Pizzeria Alberico menu is more upscale than that of Pizzeria Locale, there are a few nods to its predecessor in pies like the Diavola, made with salami picante instead of pepperoni. There's a version of the popular Mais, too, topped with crème fraîche, corn and pancetta rather than ham.

The price point at Pizzeria Alberico is (rightfully) higher, but if you're craving similar flavors that have been stepped up by an award-winning team, a visit to Boulder is in order. Otherwise, get your Pizzeria Locale fix while you can.