BOSTON — After a confusing closure of stores across the region Sunday, a spokesperson for Papa Gino's tells Boston 25 News the company has filed for bankruptcy and will sell off its holdings.
The Dedham-based company owns and operates the Papa Gino's pizza brand and the D'Angelo Sandwich shop brand.
MORE: 1 Lowes store in Mass. among more than 20 set to close in US
According to a spokesperson, Chicago-based investment company Wynnchurch is looking into buying the brands. Boston 25 News has learned Wynnchurch bought the company's debt two months ago.
Wynnchurch does not currently own any restaurant brands, but does own a meat supplier. The proposed transaction, according to a newscast, would include 141 company-owned restaurants in New England.
Employees say they were told Wynnchurch would help grow the chain.
Several Massachusetts locations of the pizza chain abruptly closed over the weekend, leaving dozens of people out of a job.
Most of those employees were notified by a locked door and a sign when they arrived at work on Sunday.
The dozens of employees at various New England locations as well as employees of D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches, which is owned by Papa Gino's, are wondering why.
"We were standing in the parking lot looking around saying, what just happened?" said one employee of D'Angelo, who did not want to use her name. "We were flabbergasted."
I asked why the restaurant closings were done in such a secret way with no notice to employees. I couldn't get an answer. https://t.co/MS7uo6UIKt
— Natalie Rubino (@newswithnatalie) November 5, 2018
One of the cooks from the D'Angelo in Needham, who also asked not to use her name, said someone from corporate showed up around 10 a.m. to break the news to her and her boss.
"[He] walks in, [and] he goes 'effective immediately, we're closing the store down, you're fired," she said.
They were not given a reason and were told that their final paychecks will arrive in the mail. Papa Gino's corporate headquarters is located in Dedham.
"We started crying -- we were holding each other," said one of the two women who works at D'Angelo's in Needham. "She's got a little girl, I have two children. I said don't worry we'll be okay, we'll figure it out."
The general manager for the Papa Gino's location in Norwood told Boston 25 News that, while his restaurant hasn't closed down, he's heard of at least five that closed on Sunday, without notice. He says his restaurant has been seeing a lot of business due to the closures.
It is still unclear how many locations have been shut down. However, the company previously said it had 150 locations and right now, their website only lists 97.
Several D'Angelo and Papa Gino's locations in Rhode Island were also part of the closures.
Papa Gino's was founded in 1961 in East Boston as Piece O' Pizza. It changed its name to Papa Gino's in 1968 and expanded throughout Boston, other parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
The company hasn't yet provided a full list of the closures.
MORE: Dozens of Papa Gino's stores across Mass. abruptly close without notice
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