Less than eight months after opening, the first Vermont location of Riko’s Pizza has permanently closed. The restaurant’s final day at 83 Church Street in Burlington was Sunday, August 10.
Representatives for the “tavern-style” pizza chain founded in Stamford, Conn., confirmed the closure in a statement shared with Seven Days on Tuesday.
“After careful review, our Burlington franchisee determined that his location did not align with the new growth plans for the brand, which are centered on partnering with experienced operators and expanding to select markets throughout the New York tri-state, Florida, and broader East Coast,” the statement read.
The Burlington outpost held its grand opening in late January 2025. The 5,000-square-foot restaurant — the original home of Pascolo Ristorante — was Riko’s eighth franchised location, of 12 total. It was opened in partnership with franchisee Thomas Jacobson, a “Connecticut native who has been a Riko’s customer and fan for over a decade,” the company said in a press release at the time.
The menu featured “tavern-style” pizzas, a style “that dates back to the 1930s but died out over the years,” Seven Days wrote last summer. Unique offerings included a Hot Oil pie and salad-topped pizzas.