Newton Pizza Spot Closes For Good Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

NEWTON, MA — Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza in Newton has closed for good because of the coronavirus pandemic, the restaurant announced on its voicemail Tuesday.

"I sadly found out today that this location will be permanently closed," a worker took to Facebook Monday.

The restaurant joins a growing number of restaurants that have folded under economic pressure resulting from months of forced closure or severely reduced business because of the pandemic. The chain's website no longer lists the Needham Street location in Massachusetts.

The news came on the same day as Massachusetts' reopening plan allowed for restaurants to open up for indoor seating and Newton announced it would permit restaurants to expand outdoor seating to parking spaces and parking lots as local businesses pleaded for more help amid serious economic effects of the pandemic. Read more: Amid Frustration, Newton To Allow Expanded Al Fresco Dining.

"We're going to see more of this, more restaurants that are really challenged to get to the next step. Now that we have indoor dining, you can bring in more people and some inside, but it's not nearly the capacity that restaurant need," said Greg Reibman of the Newton-Needham Chamber.

Restaurants are asked to take a whole lot more steps for not the same amount of customers, he said.

Anthony's first opened on Needham Street in early 2017, the fifth of the chain to open in the state. Anthony's unique pizzas take 4 minutes to cook and are coal-fired at 800 degrees (hence the name). In addition to the authentic pizzas, the restaurant serves oven-roasted chicken wings, homemade meatballs, salads and Eggplant Marino, a nod to NFL Hall of Famer and restaurant backer Dan Marino.

In 2016 the company announced an aggressive expansion into the Bay State, with planned locations in Reading, Northborough, Littleton and Newton following the opening of its Westwood restaurant in 2015.

After Pushback, Newton To Allow Expanded Al Fresco Dining

From 2017: Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza Opens in Newton

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a press release you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how to post a press release, a column, event or opinion piece.