Why This Once Popular Italian Restaurant Chain Ended Up In Bankruptcy (With Under 50 Locations)

When it comes to Italian chain restaurants, there's a pedestal made of unlimited breadsticks upon which the Olive Garden sits, and then there's ... everyone else. Some are still household names. You can reliably find The Old Spaghetti Factory, Maggiano's, or Bertucci's in or around your hometown. But one once-popular Italian chain, Buca di Beppo, has faced closures, bankruptcy, and a distinct decline, leaving the restaurant in the red, not unlike the giant, saucy, family-style dishes it serves.

Like many other chains that entered bankruptcy in recent years, including Rubio's Coastal Grill and Roti, Buca di Beppo cited the COVID-19 pandemic as the chief reason when it filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2024. Indeed, since 2020, the chain closed 30 restaurants, leaving it with just 44 locations still in operation.

However, throughout Bucco di Beppo's run, it experienced multiple problems, some of which predated the pandemic by years. After being founded in 1993, the chain was subject to a 2005 SEC investigation because, it turns out, its CEO, CFO, and controller stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the company. Then, in 2008, ownership changed hands when Planet Hollywood International bought the restaurant. For a while, things seemed to turn around. In 2014, it had 95 locations. However, Buca di Beppo's real trouble was just beginning.

Between 2014 and 2020, Buca di Beppo's sales fell every year. Once COVID-19 hit, the results were catastrophic, ultimately forcing the restaurant to declare bankruptcy in 2024. From very early on, Buca di Beppo had a rocky road to the top of the food chain, and it's been impossible to get back to where it was after closing more than half of its locations.

Some of these difficulties may not be totally surprising, as the chain likely lacked broad appeal among fans of traditional Italian restaurants. It was founded by Phil Roberts, a Lutheran restaurateur from central Illinois who had no connection to Italy whatsoever. The goal was to be over-the-top. Roberts told Priya Krishna at Bon Appetit that Buca di Beppo's decor and feel were "intentionally in bad taste, but good-natured bad taste."

There was nothing authentically Italian about Buca di Beppo, but there was never supposed to be. It aimed to be tacky, excessive, and fun. And while it was for a little while, that same style ultimately didn't stand the test of time.