The build-your-own pizza chain that started in Fullerton, Calif., next door to Anaheim, had about 150 stores at its peak. It filed for bankruptcy in December 2025, and Hawaii has already lost every location.
Pieology used to be everywhere in Southern California. Now it’s down to its last 27 pizza shops.
The build-your-own pizza chain had 27 locations in four states and Guam as of Oct. 9, according to its website, TheStreet reported on Oct. 11.
That’s down from about 150 at its peak in 2017, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. By our math, that’s a drop of about 82%.
Why is Pieology closing so many locations?
It’s been shrinking for years, and then it went bankrupt.
Pieology’s parent company, The Little Brown Box Pizza LLC, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California on Dec. 8, 2025, according to court records.
Pieology had 45 locations at the time, Franchise Times and Restaurant Dive reported. Franchise Times said 29 were run by franchisees and 16 by the company, in six states and Guam. It had closed 17 more just before filing.
The filing blamed a deal that went bad. Pieology took over 29 struggling stores from its biggest franchisee, and the court papers say those stores drained its cash, Franchise Times reported.
The company listed between $1 million and $10 million in debts, the Orange County Business Journal reported. It filed jointly with a related company, Kustom Partner, Franchise Times reported.
The public court-records site CourtListener listed both cases as open as of Oct. 12, though its records can lag. We couldn’t find any report on whether Pieology has a plan to come out of bankruptcy.
How many Pieology locations are left?
Twenty-seven, per the company’s site on Oct. 9. The count, year by year, according to TheStreet:
2017: about 150
2019: 125
2021: 116
2024: 103
Before the December 2025 bankruptcy: 45
Oct. 9, 2026: 27
That’s 18 fewer stores, or 40%, in the 10 months since the filing, by our math.
The closures are still coming. A franchised Pieology in Folsom, Calif., near Sacramento, closed in October after the owner chose not to renew the lease, the Sacramento Bee reported. That store had been open since 2016.
Pieology still has locations in Sacramento’s Meadowview neighborhood and in Elk Grove, TheStreet reported.
Did Pieology leave Hawaii?
Yes. All five Hawaii locations were set to close on or after May 22, 2026, affecting 56 workers, KHON2 reported in March. The franchisee’s closing notice cited “business failure.”
Pieology went from six states and Guam at the bankruptcy filing to four states and Guam now. Hawaii is one of the two states it left.
Where did Pieology start?
In Fullerton, Calif., the city just north of Anaheim. Carl Chang opened the first Pieology near Cal State Fullerton in 2011, the Orange County Business Journal reported.
The company is based in Irvine, and Chang is its chairman and majority owner, according to the Business Journal.
The idea was simple. Pick your crust, sauce and toppings, and watch them make it in front of you, a lot like a Chipotle line for pizza.
It got some big-name backers along the way. Panda Express founders Andrew and Peggy Cherng invested in 2016, and NBA star Kevin Durant followed in 2017, according to the company’s announcements at the time.
What has Pieology’s founder said about the closures?
In December 2025, Chang told the Orange County Business Journal, “We lost our way under previous leadership.”
He also told the paper he wasn’t focused on big growth anymore. Pieology hasn’t said anything new about its plans since TheStreet’s report.
Are other build-your-own pizza chains closing?
Pieology isn’t alone. The fast, build-your-own pizza craze has cooled off.
MOD Pizza: started in 2008 and based in Bellevue, Wash., it peaked at about 575 locations in 2024 and now has 438 in 26 states, TheStreet reported. Elite Restaurant Group bought MOD in July 2024.
Blaze Pizza: started in 2012 and now based in Atlanta, it had more than 300 locations at the start of 2024, then closed 30 that year and 36 more in 2025, according to Restaurant Dive. It now has more than 250, TheStreet reported.
Pieology’s drop is the steepest of the three, by far. MOD is down about 24% from its peak, by our math, and Pieology is down about 82%.
Is there still a Pieology near Disneyland?
Pieology’s home turf is Orange County. Its hometown, Fullerton, borders Anaheim, and its headquarters is in nearby Irvine. But with only 27 stores left, the odds of passing one on the way to the parks keep shrinking.
If you’ve got a favorite location, check Pieology’s store finder before you go. TheStreet’s own reporter noted two nearby California stores closed in November 2024 and June 2025.
What are some fun facts about Pieology?
It’s a college-town original. The first store opened near Cal State Fullerton.
Kevin Durant was an investor. The NBA star put money into the chain in 2017, back when it was still growing.
Some stores lasted a decade. The Folsom franchise opened in 2016 and closed this month.
Guam still has Pieology. The last 27 locations include Guam, even after Hawaii closed out.
For a chain that let you build your own pizza, the number of places to build one is getting pretty small.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
TheStreet, Oct. 11, 2026: Kevin Durant-backed pizza chain Pieology is down to its last 27 locations (location counts, Folsom closure, MOD Pizza and Blaze Pizza)
U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California: The Little Brown Box Pizza LLC, Case 8:25-bk-13452, filed Dec. 8, 2025
Franchise Times and Restaurant Dive, Dec. 10, 2025: Pieology bankruptcy filing
Orange County Business Journal, Dec. 9 and Dec. 15, 2025: Pieology bankruptcy and Carl Chang interview
CourtListener: The Little Brown Box Pizza LLC docket, checked Oct. 12, 2026
KHON2, March 26, 2026: Pieology closing all Hawaii locations
Pieology via Franchising.com, Jan. 19, 2016, and Oct. 13, 2017: Cherng investment; Kevin Durant partnership
Sacramento Bee: Folsom Pieology closure
Restaurant Dive: Blaze Pizza and MOD Pizza
Our math: decline since the 2017 peak and since the bankruptcy filing
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