A beloved pizza chain has finally revealed why it closed its doors after 50 years in the business.

Gina Maria’s Pizza abruptly shuttered its four Minneapolis locations in October without warning customers that the restaurants were closing.

A March 26 bankruptcy filing explained that the operators of the pizza chain had $2.9 million in debts — while only reporting $64,000 in assets.

The company, Northern Brands Inc., filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, likely meaning the business will be liquidated instead of restructured.

Gina Maria’s started in 1975 with a since-closed location in Minnetonka. The Twin Cities chain went on to expand to Chanhassen, Eden Prairie, Edina and Plymouth.

Locals shared their disappointment with the news on social media, with one writing on Facebook: “I’m so bummed , I live a block away from the E.P. Store went there for 25 years , just love the pepperoni and green olive , best pizza by far now in Richfield and they opened theEdina store I wonder why they closed , very bummed.”

Another added, “Closed. Sad. Easily the BEST pizza anywhere. Nothing in Naples FL comes close!”

One Reddit user wrote on a discussion thread about the chain’s closure: “Geez. This hits. Not THE BEST pizza in town, but consistently reliable. The slice deal for lunch will go down for some of the best quick lunches of my day.”

After the locations closed in October, the former manager at two Gina Maria’s locations stepped up to open a similar restaurant in the same spot, according to local outlets.

A new restaurant called Pizzas Gina is now open in the location where the Eden Prairie Gina Maria’s store was.

Ulises Godinez, who opened the revamped store, is using the same recipes as the shuttered brand. He told Eden Prairie Local News that the restaurant’s previous owners left supplies in the kitchen for him to use in the new venture. The eatery has just the one location.

Local chains are not the only restaurants that are facing trouble.

Applebee’s will be permanently closing at least four locations across the United States as part of a corporate restructuring plan to close underperforming restaurants.

Popeye’s also closed several U.S. locations after a franchisee filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.

Colorado-based Noodles & Company announced it expects to close up to 35 restaurants this year after closing 33 in 2025. Plus, burger chain Jack in the Box also closed dozens of underperforming restaurants across the U.S. last year.