Papa John's Latest To Announce They Are Closing Restaurants

When it comes to pizza, I tend to steer myself toward the local/regional vibe and away from the reliable but stereotypically boring national chain. Though I can admit... occasionally sometimes some Papa John's or Pizza Hut is exactly what the doctor ordered when you just know that pizza is what you need and you need it quick. Or in bulk. That's another good reason.

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As the age of corporate food reliability has somewhat wavered and tastes have swayed back to mom and pop type, local establishments, we've seen the results of that trend as too many national restaurant chains have been closing up shop in the last few years.

In the pizza space, Papa John's and Pizza Hut are the two most recent to announce such a move.

Papa John's will be closing close to 10% of their total stores across North America, or about 300 locations. They announced that the decision is a result of a "strategic review" of their stores and they are in the process of identifying their biggest underperformers.

How many of those are in Colorado remain to be seen, but with 300 closing across America, that number is expected to be significant.

This announcement comes on the heels of one of their main competitors - Pizza Hut - making a similar announcement a few weeks ago. Their parent company Yum! Brands announced they will be closing roughly 250 Pizza Huts across the United States in the first half of this year. Again, no specific stores have been announced, but there are currently 116 Pizza Hut locations in Colorado alone.