Upper Crust Pizzeria Fenway Sold in Auction

When Wednesday's auction of the embattled Upper Crust Pizzeria chain was done yesterday, and the smoke (somewhat) cleared, a different pizza chain had reportedly had won control of the Fenway store site.

The Boston Globe reports that Boston Restaurant Associates, which runs the Regina Pizzeria chain, acquired the lease for the Upper Crust near Fenway Park for $175,000.  Boston Restaurant Associates, which runs the Regina Pizzeria chain, acquired the lease for the Upper Crust near Fenway Park for $175,000. 

That offer, says the Globe report, is only for the store lease and restaurant equipment, not rights to use the Upper Crust name.

A different company, one connected to the original owner, won bids for the Watertown, Lexington, Wellesley and South End store sites. An affiliate of Ditmars Ltd. — the private equity firm working with ousted founder Jordan Tobins, won leases for those four restaurants.

The attorney representing immigrant workers said to have cheated of vast amounts of overtime pay won the bid for the Harvard Square location, where Shannon Liss-Riordan reportedly has said she will give workers ownership shares in the business.

Yesterday's auction was the bankruptcy court dismantling the troubled company. Ten of the stores were shuttered last month after the company ran short of money after executives reportedly paid themselves a month's salary in advance. According to the Globe:

Upper Crust said in court records it owes at least $3.4 million, and the US Department of Labor filed a claim that the company owes workers $850,000 in back wages and damages.

The rest of the company's stores were sold off to other parties.