Phoenix-based Fired Pie has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, making it the latest pizza chain experiencing financial difficulties in 2024.
The industry has seen several bankruptcy filings among chains this year. The latest was Oath Pizza, which sought bankruptcy protection earlier this month. Also in 2024, Buca di Beppo filed for Chapter 11 in August, followed by Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza & Wings in September.
Meanwhile, MOD Pizza, formerly a fast-casual pizza powerhouse, flirted with bankruptcy before being acquired by Elite Restaurant Group in July.
AZFamily.com cites court documents showing that Fired Pie’s parent company, NWFI LLC, lists up to $1 million in assets and up to $10 million in liabilities. All of Fired Pie’s locations—with a total of 13 listed on its website—are company-owned. Two stores on the website are listed as “now closed.”
Fired Pie, a fast-casual pizza chain, launched in Phoenix in 2013 under founders Doug Doyle and Fred Morgan, both California Pizza Kitchen veterans. As of March 2021, the brand had 19 locations in Metro Phoenix and one store in Tucson. That same year, it opened a ghost kitchen and started offering fast-Asian street food from Wow Bao through third-party delivery.
The fast-casual pizza segment exploded nationwide about 10 years ago as companies like MOD Pizza, Blaze Pizza and Pieology began hitting their stride and achieving fast growth. But the pandemic dealt a major blow to the segment, which often caters to lunch crowds during busy workdays.
