Signs Buca Di Beppo Won't Be Around Much Longer

Even though Buca di Beppo has been serving crowds since 1993, there are plenty of signs pointing to its possible demise. If you haven't been to one in a while, you're not alone. It hasn't been doing so great in the 2020s, and there are fewer locations than ever before.

For decades, Buca di Beppo has been the place you go when you want a fun and kitschy place to eat Italian food with 20 of your closest friends. Whether it's a holiday meal, a birthday, or a celebration of another special event, you knew you could count on its dining style to take care of your group. While many restaurant sales have faltered in the 2020s, Buca di Beppo's decline seems to have been steady, and the company hasn't seemed to be able to find a way to recover. It owes more money than it's bringing in, and its potential customers are often opting for other restaurants.

While the chain has been doing some things to try to try to turn its future around, the situation currently looks dire. At least it's not wasting money trying to update the dining area and turn it into some modernized industrial place of architectural sadness like so many failing companies do. However, we've uncovered enough problems the chain is facing to make us worry that the Buca di Beppo may not make it much longer. We hope that we're wrong and that it's around for many decades to come.

While many restaurants didn't weather the COVID-19 pandemic very well, it was especially tough for Buca di Beppo. It was created as a family-style dining restaurant perfect for large groups. So, it's no wonder that the place you went with a loud and raucous group of 15 for a special meal didn't do so well when large groups weren't dining together during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The pandemic affected the restaurant's success not only when people were quarantining, but also on an ongoing basis. Like with so many restaurants, the pandemic interfered with the restaurant's operations. However, it also permanently decreased the influx of customers that it has depended on for decades. With fewer customers, some of the long-term effects have included property lease or rental prices that don't match the income of the restaurants. Thus, it's necessary to close locations that never returned to the performance levels they enjoyed pre-pandemic.

The way people eat has changed since the pandemic, which has also affected the chain's bottom line. More people are ordering takeout than eating in restaurants. Yes, you can order takeout from Buca di Beppo, but the whole point of the place is more about gathering with friends in a fun atmosphere rather than the food experience. Plus, other potential customers are just eating at home since restaurant costs are so high. Neither one of these realities are good for business.

Buca di Beppo has been losing money for a while. However, it took until August 5, 2024, before the lower number of customers and decreased income finally overwhelmed the chain to the point of needing to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy. According to its bankruptcy documents, the chain had already been trying to cut costs before it hit rock bottom. For example, it consolidated its vendors and made changes in employee hours. Plus, it made menu changes and offered new promotions to try to get customers in the door. Nevertheless, these changes weren't enough.

The chain's debts continued to compound as food costs continued to rise and sales decreased. Its bankruptcy documents indicate that its sales decreased 14% between 2021 and 2024. The decrease between 2023 and 2024 alone was 5%. In the first five months of 2024, it was tanking even more dramatically than the year before, with revenue falling 10%.

At the time of the bankruptcy, Buca di Beppo was sitting on somewhere between $50 and $100 million in liabilities, which was $40 to $50 million more than its assets. It owed debts to 200 to 999 different creditors, making bankruptcy an enticing solution. However, it's in good company since so many other restaurants are having to declare bankruptcy in 2024, including more popular ones like Red Lobster and some Popeyes franchise groups.

The number of Buca di Beppo locations has been dwindling for years. In 2019, before COVID-19 disrupted regular business, there were 76 locations. However, by the end of 2023, it only had 64 locations. By the end of 2024, it should only have even fewer. Many of the ones closing now have been around for decades.

While the restaurant was already closing down locations in the years and months before the bankruptcy, the bankruptcy made 18 more closures necessary. In 2024, a single location each has closed in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Ohio. A total of two locations each have shuttered in Michigan and Utah. Meanwhile, the doors are closing permanently at three Pennsylvania locations.

Once the closures are done, it will leave the chain with 44 open restaurants, more than 31% fewer than it had in 2019. The plan is to restructure the remaining restaurants. The chain will also be opening one restaurant to round out its numbers to 44. After all is said and done, the state that will have the most still open will be California with 15. There will be four locations left in each of these states: Arizona, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas. Both Florida and Nevada will have three left. Indiana will have two left. And there will be one each remaining in Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Washington.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Buca di Beppo's parent company, Earl Enterprises, found itself in some financial hot water after a big data breach. The breach was ongoing between May 23, 2018 and March 18, 2019, before they got it under control. Thus, customer data was vulnerable for nearly a year (299 days).

The data breach affected 101 restaurant locations owned by Earl Enterprises. So, not only was Buca di Beppo affected, but so were restaurants like Planet Hollywood (which hasn't been doing well either). Hackers who used malware to breach the Earl of Enterprises systems were able to obtain card numbers and expirations dates, along with customer names, in some instances.

In the end, there was a class action lawsuit, and the company settled for $600,000. Those who had documentation could receive up to $5,000 each to cover a variety of expenses related to having their card information stolen. The amount also included a recompense of $20 an hour for up to four hours of lost time while dealing with the headaches involved with having a stolen card. Those who didn't have documentation just got a $10 gift card they could use at either Planet Hollywood or Buca di Beppo.

When a restaurant isn't doing well, part of the problem can be what customers and employees are saying about it — or not saying about it. One statistic that is helpful in showing what's happening on this front is a restaurant's Net Promoter Score (NPS). This score shows how likely customers are willing to recommend the restaurant to a friend. Unfortunately, Buca di Beppo's score isn't looking that great.

According to Comparably, Buca di Beppo's Net Promoter Score is -30. Yes, that's a negative number. While 30% of its customers have positive sentiments and are promoting the restaurant, 10% are passive, and 60% are detractors that are saying negative things about the restaurant. The score was even lower in 2022. It got a little higher in 2023, but it has fallen again in 2024. Meanwhile, both of its biggest competitors have positive Net Promoter Scores. Olive Garden's NPS is 5 (35 higher than Buca di Beppo's), while Carrabba's Italian Grill's NPS is 9 (39 higher than Buca di Beppo's).

When we looked at what people are saying about the restaurant on social media, it seems like there are more people with negative than positive things to say. While some customers have favorite dishes, good memories, and like the fun and kitschy atmosphere there, most lament that it's just barely better than Olive Garden and don't consider it real Italian food.

According to Comparably, Buca di Beppo's Net Promoter Score (NPS) from employees is even worse than the one from customers. The score is fairly awful at -54. While 21% would promote the company and 4% are passive about promoting the company to friends, 75% are detractors and would advise against working for the company.

When it comes to reviewing the company, 42% of the comments about working with the company were positive, while 58% were negative. However, when the employees graded different facets of working for the company, the average scores were all failing. They graded the restaurant chain with an "F" for company culture, the CEO, happiness, the restaurant's future outlook, the executive team, the manager, and employee retention.

Some of the worst complaints from employees have been about pay. Employees rated the company's perks and benefits and compensation with a score of "F," too. With the current financial woes of the company, it's not too surprising that employees are upset about not getting paid well because of lack of customers. One reviewing the company on a job search site even mentioned being sent home early because there were no customers. Even worse, one employee told Comparably, "They don't pay me the right hours. They always cut the check on me." Not paying employees what they're owed is always a bad sign, and the company was subject to a wage theft class action lawsuit in 2017.

Buca di Beppo's biggest claim to fame is offering a lot of food, but the quality doesn't quite match the quantity. The experience and fun atmosphere are what you write home about, not the food. Many customers rank the flavor above Olive Garden but definitely below local Italian non-franchise restaurants in town. Some customers have always found the food to be bad or lackluster, while others have noticed a decline in quality in the past few years.

Customers tend to keep going back for the atmosphere, despite the food, especially when invited out for special meals with a group. One Redditor explained, "The place has a cool atmosphere but the food is pretty bad." They also complained that the chain uses "processed Frankenchicken. " One customer who visits with friends every year during the holidays said on Reddit, "I think I have tried a different pasta every year and the four or five I have tried in that time span have all been very boring or lack flavor."

Some longtime customers have watched the food quality decline in recent years in some locations. A customer visiting the Salt Lake City location that is now closed said on Reddit, "[W]e used to really like this place but the quality of the food in the past year or so has gone to absolute crap." So, what you're experiencing in your local restaurant may not be the same quality as in its prime.

Complaints about food prices aren't unique to the 2020s. However, when food costs a lot, potential customers compare it against quality and how easily or cheaply they can make the same thing at home. If you divide the prices between multiple people, the cost isn't bad; it's that initial sticker shock that gets people.

When prices are high, you want to go where the price matches the quality of the food. So, if you're paying a premium price, you don't want food that is just so-so. One person on Reddit asked, "How are so many people saying it's overpriced and crap Italian food so it closed when Olive Garden is still thriving?" Someone else replied by saying, "You answered your own question. It's overpriced crap. Olive Garden is moderately priced crap."

To give an idea about how the quality of the food compares to the price, one Redditor mentioned "[t]he $40 chicken parm ... was one chicken breast and didn't include pasta or bread or anything else whatsoever." So you have to order everything separately. Appetizers range from $14.99 to $36.99, salads cost between $22.99 and $25.99, sides range from $10.99 to $25.99, and pizzas are between $21 and $24. Entrees start at $28.99 for eggplant parmigiana and go up to $36.99. Pastas start at $25.99 for spaghetti marinara and go up to $36.99.Then, if you save room for dessert, it will cost between $10.99 and $18.99.

Some of Buca di Beppo's locations seem to have been going downhill. They're decades old, and they're starting to feel their age. Some of the negatives customers are describing make some of the locations feel not nearly as appealing as they once were.

One problem comes from customers not having the experience they expect from their memories of fun meals from previous times. A reviewer on TripAdvisor said, "I was expecting a cheerful, upbeat, fun restaurant, but instead got an old, tired, chipped, dirty and run-down place, long past its prime." The location in Salt Lake City, Utah, that recently closed down had some complaints on social media of it not being in great shape the last few years either. One customer complained about the smell being unappetizing. Another complained of visiting in July and finding the place covered in fans because the air conditioning was out, along with the sound system. These reviews suggest the restaurants are in steady decline.

It's not just the customers talking about the state of some of the restaurants. An employee complained to Comparably that the restaurant they work for seemed to be falling apart. They also mentioned plumbing problems as well as the place being smelly and dirty. In older buildings, employees talk about the carpets being past their prime. So the physical upkeep of some of the restaurants has begun to interfere with the overall experience.

Since it's a family-style-dining restaurant, all the menu items are built to feed three to five people. So, if you are a single person or even a couple wanting Italian food, you're probably going to head elsewhere.

Back in 2008, Buca di Beppo tried adding more menu options with just one serving. While that might not have worked for 2008, dining habits have changed enough to seem like it might be worthwhile to try introducing smaller portions again. With more people skipping the dining room and taking food home, the restaurant doesn't necessarily have to depend on groups for its customer base. The U.S. Census Bureau says that around 29% of U.S. households are single-person households. Statista shows that another 34% are two-person households. So, if 63% of households don't have 3-5 people to share a meal, maybe the restaurant's portion-size model needs revision, especially for takeout.

Sure, if you split the bill between several people, you can come out cheaply. For example, a person who visited the restaurant with a party of seven talked on social media about how they came out spending only about $20 per person because they split an entree, pizza, and salad between all of them. However, the prices look more daunting if you're a single person thinking about ordering a single entree without sides for around $30. Sure, you'll have leftovers for days, but that initial high price tag can be a deterrent.