Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza, a once-popular fixture in Jacksonville and surrounding areas, has quietly closed all of its Northeast Florida pizzerias.
The Vancouver, Washington-based chain, which offered take-and-bake pizzas, had 14 locations across Jacksonville, Neptune Beach, Orange Park, Fleming Island, St. Augustine, Fruit Cove, and Saint Johns. Some of these locations had been operating since 2010, according to records from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).
However, these stores have now permanently closed. According to Papa Murphy’s website, only one store remains open in all of Florida, located in Pensacola.
Many of the closed restaurants were corporate-owned, as indicated by records from the Florida Division of Corporations. Despite efforts to reach out, Papa Murphy’s corporate office did not respond to inquiries from the Times-Union via phone, email, or social media.
A local customer, concerned about the closures, reached out to the company directly and shared their response with the Times-Union. The company’s email stated, “All our locations in Jacksonville, Fl. have closed permanently… The majority of Papa Murphy’s locations are independently owned and operated. Unfortunately, they close for various reasons that we are unable to disclose due to privacy issues.”
Papa Murphy’s was founded in 1995 and is now owned by MTY Food Group, a Canadian-based company. MTY Food Group operates over 90 fast-casual and quick-service restaurant brands, making it one of the largest franchisors in North America’s restaurant industry.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Papa Murphy’s has faced challenges, leading to the closure of 3.5% of its stores. The company now operates 1,127 locations across the U.S., according to a report from Restaurant Business magazine in April.