Another Colorado Old Chicago Has Closed – How Many Do We Have Left?

It seems that more and more these days we are saying, "There used to be an Old Chicago there." As yet another Colorado location has closed down, how long will it be until there aren't any at all in our state?

Has Old Chicago seen its day? Has the "Hall of Foam" run its course? America loves pizza, there's no question about that; how does Colorado hold on to one of the greatest pizza joints around?

When you take into consideration that Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom got its start in Boulder, Colorado, in 1976, the thought of any Colorado location closing is very disappointing.  It was in 2017 that the original Old C's on Pearl Street in Boulder closed its doors. That just seems like a terrible shame; the OG of Old C's is gone.

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It was in 2020, that the then-parent company of Old Chicago, CraftWork, filed for bankruptcy, which forced the Longmont location to shut down. Fortress Investment Group bought out Craftwork in 2020; at that time they said that they expected to keep 150 of the Old Chicago's open. One of those has now closed its doors.

WHAT IS THE LATEST OLD CHICAGO TO CLOSE?

After being open for nearly 30 years, one of the three Colorado Springs locations closed down, in late April of 2023.  Old Chicago/Fortress sent a statement to Colorado Springs TV station KKTV - 

After a close evaluation of the market, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our Colorado Springs location at 4110 N. Academy Blvd. We thank our loyal guests for their support, and we invite them to visit our nearby restaurants in Colorado Springs. All our N. Academy Blvd. team members have been offered positions in our nearby restaurants effective immediately

RELATED: CALIFORNIA-BASED PIZZA CHAIN BEGINS TO MOVE INTO COLORADO

I have had plenty of great times at Old Chicago's around Colorado, but I especially miss the one that was in Old Town Fort Collins. It was one of my favorite places in town, with lots of room, that great patio along College Avenue, and great bartenders. That location, after 36 years, closed in 2018.

HOW MANY OLD CHICAGO DOES COLORADO HAVE LEFT?

You'll find at least one Old Chicago in 24 states, Kansas coming in 2nd as having the most, after Colorado. Though it would be hard to figure out the most Old Chicago's that were open at one time, after the most recent closing, Colorado is now left with 18.

How long will that number hold? It's definitely hard to say.