Bertucci's facts for kids
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A former Bertucci's in Peabody, Massachusetts
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Genre | Casual dining |
| Founded | November 3, 1981, in Somerville, Massachusetts, as (Bertucci's Pizza and Bocce) |
| Founder | Joseph Crugnale |
| Headquarters | Northborough, Massachusetts U.S. |
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Key people
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Len Carpenter (CEO) |
| Products | Italian-American cuisine |
| Parent | N.E. Restaurant Co. Inc. (1998–2001) Bertucci's Corp. (2001–2018) Earl Enterprises (2018–present) |
Bertucci's is a popular American restaurant chain. It is known for its delicious pizza and other Italian dishes. Joey Crugnale started Bertucci's in November 1981. The very first restaurant was in Davis Square, Somerville, Massachusetts.
Over the years, Bertucci's grew quite a bit. Most of its restaurants are in the Northeast US. You can also find them as far south as Virginia. In 1998, a company called N.E. Restaurant Co. Inc. bought Bertucci's. Later, in 2001, that company changed its name to Bertucci's Corp. Today, Bertucci's has 14 locations in five different states.
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History of Bertucci's
Joseph ("Joey") Crugnale, the person who started Bertucci's, was born in Sulmona, Italy. When he was in high school, he moved to Boston. He got his first job at a restaurant there. He worked at the Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
In 1974, Joey opened his very first ice cream stand. A year later, in 1975, he bought Steve's Ice Cream. He paid $80,000 for it. Joey opened 26 Steve's Ice Cream stores. In 1983, he sold the ice cream business for $4.5 million.
The first 'Bertucci's Pizza and Bocce' opened in November 1981. It was right next to one of his Steve's Ice Cream shops. Joey opened it to make sure no other ice cream shop would move in there. He found the name "Bertucci's" in a magazine. The first restaurant even had a bocce court in its basement!
Bertucci's in the 1980s
By 1989, Bertucci's was getting famous. USA Today newspaper said it was one of America's top 10 pizza restaurants. At that time, its main office was in Woburn, Massachusetts.
Bertucci's in the 1990s
In July 1991, Bertucci's became a publicly owned company. This meant people could buy parts of the company called shares. The company offered 21 restaurants for $13 per share. That year, sales went up a lot, reaching $37.4 million. The company's profit also grew to $3 million. The price of their shares almost doubled.
In 1998, Joey Crugnale tried to buy the company back. The board agreed, but another company offered more money. N.E. Restaurant Co. Inc. bought Bertucci's for $10.50 per share.
Bertucci's in the 2000s
In 2001, N.E. Restaurant Co. Inc. sold its other restaurants. These included Chili's and On the Border. After that, the company changed its name to Bertucci's Corp.
In 2006, another Italian restaurant chain, Vinny T's, changed its name to Buca di Beppo. They also sold some of their restaurants. Bertucci's Corp. bought eleven of these locations in Boston. By the end of the 2000s, Bertucci's had about 100 restaurants.
Bertucci's in the 2010s
In 2011, The Boston Globe newspaper checked fish in restaurants. They found that some fish were not labeled correctly. Bertucci's quickly fixed this problem. They worked hard to find the right kind of cod fish for their dishes.
In December 2012, Bertucci's opened a new kind of restaurant. It was called "2Ovens" and was in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. In this restaurant, brick ovens were the main way they cooked food.
Bertucci's in the 2020s
On April 23, 2025, Bertucci's opened its first "Bertucci's Pronto" restaurant. This is a new, faster style of restaurant. As of July 2025, the company has 10 locations in Massachusetts. It also has one location each in Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
Restaurant Closures
Like many businesses, Bertucci's has faced challenges. Sometimes, companies need to close locations or get help with their money.
Closures in the 2010s
In April 2018, Bertucci's had to get help with its money problems. They closed 15 of their restaurants. These closures included locations in New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. An affiliate of Right Lane Capital agreed to buy the chain.
In June 2018, the company that owns Planet Hollywood, Earl Enterprises, bought Bertucci's for $20 million.
Closures in the 2020s
In July 2022, the Bertucci's in Andover, Massachusetts, closed. In September 2022, the Woburn, Massachusetts, location also closed.
In December 2022, Bertucci's again needed help with its money. Sales had gone down, and the COVID-19 pandemic caused problems. Prices for supplies also went up a lot. Because of this, several restaurants closed. These included one in New Jersey, two in Connecticut, two in New Hampshire, and five in Massachusetts.
In March 2023, the Needham and Peabody locations in Massachusetts closed. In May 2023, Bertucci's closed its last New Hampshire restaurant in Nashua. In June 2023, its last New Jersey location in Mount Laurel closed. In October 2023, two more Massachusetts locations closed in Cambridge and Lexington. In December 2024, the Swampscott location closed. In March 2025, two more Massachusetts locations closed in Holliston and Plymouth.
On April 24, 2025, Bertucci's again sought help with its money. The company said that fewer people were coming to their restaurants. They planned to focus on their new "Bertucci's Pronto" restaurants. The day before, the first Bertucci's Pronto opened in Boston. As a result of this, six more locations closed right away. These included one in Maryland, one in Rhode Island, and four in Massachusetts. In June 2025, the last Maryland location in Columbia also closed.
See also
