Vestal Pizzeria Uno closes

Sound the death knell for Chicago-style deep-dish pizza in Vestal.

Pizzeria Uno & Grill closed on Monday. Fixtures were unceremoniously being removed from the restaurant on Monday afternoon.

Virtually all signs that the establishment was there have been erased — the names on parking lot mural were blacked out with spray paint, the logos above and on the side of the restaurant were removed, and any reference to the pizza place on the tall roadside sign that signaled the eatery to Vestal Parkway motorists have been scrubbed.

A sign on the door notifies customers of the closing, thanking them for years of patronage, and encourages them to visit other Pizzeria Unos in their travels.

"Goodbye is never easy," the sign read. "We've closed these doors for the last time, but wanted to say thank you for being our guest."

The closing comes four days after Blaze Pizza, a national chain, opened a little more than a mile east on the Vestal Parkway, and several months following the opening of two other national chain restaurants — Red Robin and Chili's — on the former Ken Wilson Chevrolet parcel, just steps away from the expansive Town Square Mall lot.

Old-line tradition chain restaurants have been squeezed by fast casual chains such as Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panera Bread, both of which have locations within a short driving distance of the now-closed Pizzeria Uno.

Attempts to reach Pizzeria Uno representatives were unsuccessful.

Pizzeria Uno opened in April 1993 as one of the two original restaurants, with TGI Friday's, on out-parcels of the Town Square Mall.

As of Monday, the Vestal Pizzeria Uno was scrubbed from the list of locations on the company's website. The company still lists 15 locations in New York and 97 pizzerias nationwide. The two closest locations are in Dickson City, Pennsylvania, and Liverpool, New York.

It is not known whether the Vestal Pizzeria Uno is a franchise operation or company-owned.

The restaurant's signiture dish was Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, featuring thick crusts and lots of toppings. Pizzeria Uno featured various deep-dish pizza options, salads and other entrees, and sported an outdoor dining area and a bar.

The Town Square Mall is now owned and operated by the Brixmor Property Group, a publicly traded real estate development and management company based in Manhattan.

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