METROWEST, Fla. – If you like pizza, chances are you’ve enjoyed a slice from NYPD Pizza over the past 25 years. But on Thursday night, the Central Florida chain has announced it’s closing one of its locations — the one in Orlando’s MetroWest neighborhood.
Owner and CEO Paul Russo says the decision comes down to a growing trend that’s hitting many local restaurants hard: rising rent prices.
“For 25 years, we’ve stayed true to who we are,” said Russo. “We are authentically New York pizza — we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel.”
However, Russo says several challenges have piled up, leading to the difficult decision to close their MetroWest doors this Friday.
“Over the years, it’s been a combination of things — labor costs that have vastly increased — but the nail in the coffin was the doubling of the rent,” he explained.
These challenges are becoming all too familiar for Central Florida restaurants. Just last year, News 6 reported on several beloved restaurants closing due to rent hikes, higher wages, and increased food costs.
UCF Economist Sean Snaith says there are several factors driving the rise in rent.
“Rent is part of the overall cost, and it’s certainly gone up over the years,” said Snaith. “Some of that is due to inflation, and some of it is the growth in Central Florida’s economy — there’s increasing competition for commercial spaces.”
Despite the setback, Russo says NYPD Pizza isn’t slowing down. The company is set to open a new, smaller location in Winter Park, focused on efficiency and adapting to changing customer habits.
“It will save on the cost of everything,” said Russo. “A lot of our business used to be 70% dine-in — now, it’s mostly takeout. We’ll find out how we deal with it, but that’s the goal moving forward.”
Although Friday is slated to be the MetroWest location’s last day, Russo says they might stay open a little longer to serve loyal customers one final time.
News 6 has reached out to the property owners where NYPD Pizza is located. A broker representing the owner sent this response:
“NYPD was offered an under-market rate for renewal and missed the notice date. Therefore, we put the deal out to market and were able to increase the rent by $12.00 psf, which was more in line with the market. We had four offers in that price range, so selected the best-qualified candidate. The Publix adjacent to us is quoting mid-40’s and we were quoting high 30’s.”