Pizza should be the perfect food for tough economic times.
It’s filling, relatively affordable, and comfortable. You can feed a family of four a pizza meal for less than $30, and most people (especially kids) will be happy with the choice.
That doesn’t mean every pizza chain is thriving. Pizza Hut and Papa John’s have both closed hundreds of restaurants, and Americans’ eating habits have changed dramatically.
“While foodservice remains dominant, with nearly two-thirds of monthly orders for delivery, delivery has declined from 61% in 2022 to 55% in 2025, according to the 2025 Technomic Pizza Consumer Trends Report. The most significant shift: 25% of consumers said they would eat more frozen pizza instead of going to a restaurant to choose pizza due to rising prices.”
Broadly speaking, pizza chains have been struggling in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Nation’s Restaurant News, “The pizza segment struggled in 2024, with Technomic’s Top 500 Restaurants data showing 61% of pizza chains saw sales declines. Only one pizza brand — Fort Worth-based pizza buffet chain Mr. Gatti’s Pizza — posted double-digit growth. The decline in pizza sales contrasted with the hypercompetitive coffee segment, where 88% of chains posted positive sales growth.”
Now, Gina Maria’s Pizza has closed all of its restaurants and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.
Northern Brands, which has been doing business under the Gina Maria’s Pizza brand, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on March 26, according to court documents from PacerMonitor.
“Gina Maria’s Pizzeria suddenly closed four locations in the Twin Cities West in October without giving any reason,” the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
The Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing means the brand intends to liquidate, not reorganize.
More pizza stories from TheStreet:
“Northern Brands Inc., which operates Gina Maria’s Pizza stores in Chanhassen, Eden Prairie, Edina and Plymouth, has nearly $2.9 million in liabilities and about $64,000 in assets, according to court filings. The filing lists Porfioro Godinez as the company’s debtor authorized representative. The filing lists Phil Godinez as CEO,” the Business Journal added.
A California pizza restaurant with a similar name was not included in the filing and does not appear to be related to the entity filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
Gina Maria’s Pizza sudden shutdown The chain closed all four of its Twin Cities locations (Chanhassen, Eden Prairie, Edina and Plymouth) in October 2025, announcing on its website that it was “officially closing,” Bring Me the News reported.
closure accompanies little advance warning. Bring Me the News added that all restaurant phone numbers will now play an automated message indicating that the restaurants are permanently closed.
According to EPLocalNews, Gina Maria’s was founded in 1975 and has long been a favorite among locals.
According to Eater Twin Cities , local reports indicate that the sudden closure reflects greater pressure on the restaurant industry in the Twin Cities area in late 2025.
debtor: NORTHERN BRANDS, INC., doing business as Gina Maria’s Pizza, is the corporate entity behind the pizza chain. Case number: The bankruptcy case number is 26-41005. Assets: The petition reports assets ranging from $0 to $100,000. Liabilities: Liabilities listed in the filing range from $1 million to $10 million. Type of filing: This is a voluntary filing initiated by the debtor (company). Court: United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota. Source: Bankruptcy Monitor, PacerMonitor
Pizza sales have plummeted nationwide. Shutterstock ·Shutterstock
“About 1 in 10 people eat pizza every day. It remains one of the most affordable, shareable and reliable foods in the country. What has changed is customer tolerance for pizza. mediocre Pizza (aka. chain pizza),” reports Slice.com.
Pizza Industry Website asked more than 100,000 people for predictions for the pizza market in 2026, and here’s what they had to say.
The emphasis on digital ordering will further increase.
Stores that rely solely on foot traffic will not survive.
The era of the $1 slice is officially over.
Artificial intelligence mobile phone support will become the norm in the industry, not the icing on the cake.
In 2026, consumers will be looking for new menu items and more dishes they haven’t tried yet.
“Food trends are changing four times faster than they were pre-2020, and stores need to adapt. When an influencer releases a new flavor or topping, customers expect to see it locally within weeks. Stores that are willing to do this will get the business,” the Pizza Business website shared.
Speaking at the annual ICR conference in January, Papa John’s CEO Todd Penegor argued that a return to simplicity is part of the solution, Nation’s Restaurant News reported.
“We’re making it difficult to run our restaurants,” he said. “We’ve added a lot of SKUs over the past few years, and a lot of products that break the tempo. We’re going to look at some of the less liquid SKUs and take them out of the rotation. We want to add some great innovation to the core menu… We really need to get back to being the best pizza maker in the industry.”
RELATED: Former bankrupt fast food chain faces Chapter 7
This article was originally published by TheStreet on April 3, 2026, and first appeared in the Restaurant section. Click here to add TheStreet as your preferred source.
