Pizza chain, Gina Maria, closes all locations, files for bankruptcy after 50 years

A long-standing US pizza brand has closed all its locations after filing for bankruptcy, marking the end of a business that operated for nearly 50 years.

Gina Maria’s Pizza shut its four Minneapolis-area restaurants without warning in October. A bankruptcy filing dated March 26 later revealed that the company’s operator, Northern Brands Inc., held $2.9 million in debt and just $64,000 in assets.

The company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, meaning it is expected to liquidate rather than restructure.

Founded in 1975, Gina Maria’s began in Minnetonka before expanding across the Twin Cities, with locations in Chanhassen, Eden Prairie, Edina and Plymouth.

In Eden Prairie, a former manager has reopened a similar restaurant called Pizzas Gina, using the same recipes and equipment left behind by the previous owners.

The closure reflects wider pressures in the restaurant sector, with chains such as Applebee’s also announcing plans to shut underperforming locations across the United States.