Burnside-born Sizzle Pie could make its recipe of metal and pizza work in Portland, Eugene and even Reno. But Seattle? Not so much. The pizzeria chain announced Tuesday it is closing its Capitol Hill joint and sister venue Dark Bar at the end of August due to what it says are the rising costs of doing business in Seattle:

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the imminent closure of our Capitol Hill location on August 31, 2019. We are eternally grateful for all of the wonderful years that we were able to be a part of the Capitol Hill community. We’ve worked alongside so many great organizations and local businesses in our time here and we will miss you all dearly.

“Unfortunately, the continually rising overhead and operating costs in Seattle have brought us to the very difficult decision to close this location,” the statement reads.

A spokesperson for Sizzle Pie said he couldn’t add much to the statement but did say the company “supports a fair wage” and the statement wasn’t meant as much as a jab at Seattle as an explanation that sales were not keeping up with costs in Seattle and elements like the new sweetened beverage tax. UPDATE: Chief operating officer Bob Peyton declined to comment on the statement.

All other Sizzle Pie locations in Oregon and Nevada will remain open, the spokesperson said.

Sizzle Pie and the Dark Bar arrived on E Union on the backside of the Pike/Pine nightlife scene in the spring of 2016. “Our whole approach is to have something for everyone,” Matt Jacobson, who founded Sizzle Pie with partner Mikey McKennedy in 2011, told CHS at the time. With a menu of party-flavored standards, vegan, and gluten free pies, plus really, really loud music, the shop turned out slices and pick-up orders for Pike/Pine revelers and patrons headed to nearby Optimism Brewing.

The location was previously home to the Auto Battery sports bar and Po Dog hot dogs. There are no businesses yet publicly lined up for the pizza joint and bar spaces. The Sizzle Pie spokesperson declined to offer more details on the timing of the closure but it is common for leases to have opt-out periods.

Private dance club The Mercury, meanwhile, continues to do its thing downstairs.

The exit of Sizzle Pie will leave a large hole in the slow expansion of Pike/Pine south into the gap between E Pike and Seattle University. There are still signs of growth. E Union’s Metier just underwent an overhaul and brought in new partner Homegrown to add its cycling-focused offerings. Meanwhile, the zone south of E Pike is also facing more possible change with the Central Agency Building development now on the market.

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