BUCA di Beppo permanently closed its Sacramento location on Monday, July 29, leaving longtime employees and customers reeling scrambling.
The beloved Italian-American restaurant chain and Olive Garden rival called an emergency meeting Monday morning to notify California employees about the closure.
‘A BIG DEAL’
Buca di Beppo’s Sacramento restaurant, located near Cal Expo, 5 miles northeast of downtown Sacramento, has permanently closed after more than two decades of business.
The restaurant chain opened its doors in Sacramento in 1999.
Buca di Beppo notified customers of the closure by posting a sign on its front door.
“Buca di Beppo Sacramento has closed,” the restaurant’s sign reads. “We are thankful to you, our loyal guests, for giving us the opportunity to serve you.”
“It’s with great appreciation and gratitude that we say thank you for all the years.”
Employees at the Sacramento location were called to work Monday morning for an “emergency meeting,” where management informed them of the closure.
Some employees said they were “unaware” Buca di Beppo would be shutting down until that meeting.
“Just knowing this place has been open for so long and it’s closing…is a big deal,” Jayden Seizmore, a former employee, told Fox affiliate Fox40.com.
Another employee, who had worked at the chain for four years, called the closure “disheartening.”
“Being able to work here and having the experience that I did here, it’s just really sad that it abruptly came to an end,” Rozalyn Marc-Aurele said.
“It’s very disheartening to have everything come to an end,” she added.
No reason was given for the abrupt closure, but a Buca di Beppo spokesperson did email a statement to Fox 40 confirming the closure.
Buca di Beppo State Locations
Despite recent closures, Buca di Beppo still has several locations across the US, including in the following states:
- Arizona
- California
- Florida
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- Ohio
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Washington
The store also has a restaurant in the Estancia Mall in Pasig, Philippines.
“After being part of this community for 25 years, regrettably, Buca di Beppo in Sacramento has closed,” the spokesperson wrote.
The spokesperson went on to thank the location’s customers, some of whom had frequented the establishment since 1999.
“We thank our customers for their loyalty — it was our privilege to be the backdrop for countless gatherings and celebrations over the past two decades.”
The 8,550-square-foot retail space is currently listed for sale by Cushman and Wakefield.
The real estate company is seeking just over $3.6 million for the building, built in 1979.
Despite leaving the state’s capital with one less casual dining option, fans of the chain can still visit a nearby location in Roseville.
The Roseville location, 1212 Galleria Boulevard, is about 17 miles northwest of the now-shuttered Sacramento restaurant.
Buca di Beppo was founded in 1993 by Phil Roberts.
The name translates as “Joe’s small place,” from the Italian words “buca,” or “hole” and Beppo, a nickname for Giuseppe.
The casual dining restaurant is known for serving food “family style.”
Portions are served à la carte and meant to be shared among the entire dining party, with two options:
- Buca Small, for parties of 3 or more individuals
- Buca Large, for parties of 5 or more individuals
Some locations also offer lunch menus with smaller or individual-sized portions.
In 2008, Roberts sold the chain to Planet Hollywood’s parent company, Planet Hollywood International, Inc.
Planet Hollywood’s founder, Robert Earl, famously restored the chain’s “gaudy” decor, which includes hundreds of “vintage” photographs and artwork throughout the restaurant.
Each location also features a notable “Pope Table,” the largest table in the restaurant, placed in a separate room and adorned with a centerpiece bust and photos of the Pope.
As of 2024, the chain boasts more than 40 locations nationwide.
It also includes a stand-alone restaurant in the Philippines.
Restaurant closures in 2024
BOSSES at major dining chains have announced a series of restaurant closures. The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of the chain's affected.
- Cracker Barrel: Stores in Medford, Oregon, Columbia, South Carolina, and Sacramento, California, have closed.
- Mod Pizza: Bosses dramatically shuttered 27 shops in April, including some in the state of California.
- Frisch’s Big Boy: Restaurant chiefs confirmed the closure of a restaurant in Covington, Kentucky in April.
- Outback Steakhouse: The chain will shutter 41 ‘underperforming’ locations this year.
- Two Bucks: Four restaurants in Ohio closed in April.
- Chili’s: A restaurant in Port Arthur, Texas, has shut permanently as well as one in Irvine, California.
- Friendly’s: Bosses confirmed an establishment in Ronkonkoma, Long Island will close.
- Pizza Hut: A restaurant in Glen Falls, New York, closed at the end of March, followed by four in Ohio in June and 15 in Indiana.
- Denny’s: Two restaurants in Boise and Nampa, Idaho, have closed.
- Carl’s Jr.: The first Boise, Idaho location has closed.
- In-N-Out: An Oakland location closed earlier in the year due to crime in the area.
- Cheesecake Factory: The chain is set to shutter a location in Memphis, Tennessee in July.
- Applebee’s: Announced the closure of between 25 and 35 locations this year.
- Taco John’s: Shuttered a restaurant in Minnesota and put the building up for sale in May.
- Rubio’s Coastal Grill: Has announced the closure of 48 locations in California after filing for bankruptcy.
- Burger King: Shuttered a location in California in June after 30 years.
DÉJÀ VU
Buca di Beppo quietly closed down a few other US locations earlier this week.
One location’s closure, 2745 Paper Mill Road in Spring Township, Berks County, marks the end of an era for the Italian-American restaurant.
“This location is permanently closed,” a recorded message states on the restaurant’s answering machine, as reported by WFMZ-TV 69 News.
“We thank all of our guests for their loyalty. Please visit bucadibeppo.com to find your nearest location. Thank you.”
The Spring Township restaurant was Buca di Beppo’s last remaining location in Pennsylvania.
The closure comes just a few weeks after Buca di Beppo also shuttered its Pittsburgh-area restaurant.
Unfortunately, Pennsylvania isn’t the only state left without a Buca di Beppo location.
The chain also closed down two of its remaining Michigan locations, in Livonia and Utica earlier this summer, according to the Detroit Free Press.
For more on restaurant closings, check out The U.S. Sun’s coverage of fast-food chain and casual dining restaurant closures, including past Buca di Beppo closures.
Learn more about which restaurants are closing down for good– and find out what closures are just a social media hoax.