CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A familiar restaurant located off of Dell Range Boulevard, Old Chicago Pizza + Taproom, unexpectedly shut its doors for good early this week.
Anyone hoping to grab pizza or drinks at the Cheyenne establishment will be surprised to see that the restaurant’s signs have been pulled from building entrances as of Wednesday. Additionally, the following note has been placed on the door of the main entrance:
“We have made the difficult decision to close this location permanently. It has been our pleasure to serve you. We hope you will visit our location in Fort Collins. Questions? Contact Media@spbhospitality.com”
The restaurant closed its doors Sunday, according to Ryan Russell, director of communications and cause marketing with SPB Hospitality, the franchise company that operates various Old Chicago Pizza + Taproom businesses. Russell stated in an email Wednesday to Cap City News that its other Old Chicago locations will continue to operate.
“Our decisions on restaurant closures are influenced by everything from real estate, new restaurant decisions, and lease-negotiation strategies,” Russell stated in the email. “We do not take these decisions lightly and after careful review, we have made the strategic decision to close this location. We want to express our sincere gratitude to our employees and patrons who have supported us over the years at this location.”
SPB Hospitality did not provide a response to Cap City News’ inquiry regarding the number of employees affected by the closure and when and how employees were notified about the closure.
On Monday, reports of the restaurant’s closure began pouring onto social media channels such as the Cheyenne Community Connections Facebook page. One of the earliest reports comes from community member Optopolis, who reported on the news in the channel at 10:22 a.m. Monday morning. As of Wednesday, the post has received more than 100 shares and over 200 comments. Another resident published a comment Sunday evening on the Cheyenne Rants, Raves and Community Reviews etc. page stating Old Chicago “is closing for good today.”
