The only time we’ve seen pizza collapse like this is when that one guy decides to eat his pizza folded.
After Longmont’s Parry’s Pizzeria & Taphouse shut its doors for the final time on October 27, many were left unsurprised. Comments left on social media often criticized the restaurant’s declining customer service and chronically poor food quality.
In an email sent to The Longmont Brief, Parry’s corporate office responded to questions about its closure rationale with a resounding “No comment.”
So, what happened?
A former employee provided some answers.
“In my opinion, the failure comes down to Longmont's local pizza market. Parry's prices and quality simply don't stand up to local competitors,” the individual, who chose to remain anonymous, said. The employee added…
“Employee training was virtually nonexistent and the workplace culture was missing entirely.”
“On my first day, my lead [supervisor] mentioned the high turnover rate, and as time went on, I saw why—the kitchen staff was consistently miserable.”
“Officially, the closure was attributed to landlord disputes and low sales driven by poor foot traffic.”
“During my time [since August], Fridays and Saturdays were the only busy days, even after football season kicked off.”
Another employee succinctly attributed the closure to a lack of business, while another said the reasons are wide-ranging. Neither elected to elaborate.
Commenters on social media often cited issues related to cleanliness, collapsing food quality after the restaurant’s early years, and even cold food — particularly for takeout orders. Many also argued that problems at Longmont’s Parry’s weren’t indicative of problems at every Parry’s.
Big picture:
Keep in mind, pizzerias across the nation haven’t exactly been raking in dough, either. Pizza sales have been slumping in the last several years, while Americans become more price-conscious (and calorie-conscious, particularly with the rise of GLP-1s).
The Financial Times reported another year of so-so performance from the nation’s 400 largest pizza brands and a 0.6% decline in 2025 sales for sit-down pizzerias.
The Wall Street Journal reported Domino’s 2026 third quarter U.S. same-store sales growth slowed to 0.3%, down from 5.2% a year ago.
Data from Technomic reported that in 2025, pizzeria sales were sixth-highest among U.S. chain restaurant types. Back in the 1990’s, they were 2nd-highest.
Zooming back in:
Competition in Longmont is stiff. Since opening in 2016, Parry’s has seen the pizza climate in Longmont become considerably more crowded. Newcomers like Urban Field (2022), Antonio’s (2024), Krave It (June 2026) and, most recently, Slice House (October 2026), are among the latest pizza shops competing for locals’ affection. Not to mention, the award-laden Rosalee’s has been a fan-favorite since opening in 2014.
And one should never, ever underrate the power of Costco’s $1.99 slice. Not to mention, the $1.59 hot dog & soda combo.