One pizza chain that has locations across Central and Upstate New York has abruptly closed their New Hartford location.

For fans of Blaze Pizza in New Hartford, the restaurant is no longer open in Consumer Square. Shoppers will find this note posted on the door:

Dave Wheeler/TSM
Dave Wheeler/TSM
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Google has the location listed as temporary closed, but the note clearly states permanently closed. Blaze Pizza of New Hartford officially opened for business Wednesday, October 23rd 2019. So this location was open for just over 5 years.

Blaze still has locations in Dewitt and Albany.

Blaze Is One Of Many Closures

JoAnn FabricsBed Bath & BeyondRite Aid, Big Lots, and Walgreens have all closed up over the course of the year. Esprit, the clothing brand that began in 1968, will disappear from America. The company filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which differs from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Chapter 7 is a liquidation process, while Chapter 11 is a reorganization process.

Applebee's announced dozens of restaurant closures across the country earlier this year. Red Lobster filed bankruptcy and closed nearly 100 restaurants across the country, including 10 in New York. TGI Friday's closed nearly half of its restaurants in the U.S. over the past 10 years. Declining sales, 15% in the last year alone, and four CEO changes since 2023 are to blame. Five restaurants shut down in New York at the beginning of the year. Three more closed  in the past month. The TGI Fridays inside Destiny USA in Syracuse remained open. That was until Thursday, October 24 when it abruptly shut down without warning.

Top Pizza Places In The Utica And Rome Area We Miss The Most

We asked on social media and our station app, what were the pizza places you missed the most, that are long gone? Here's the top 17 from that list.

Gallery Credit: Dave Wheeler

13 Restaurants & Businesses That Closed in 2023

Retirement and consolidation are just some of the reasons we've lost several restaurants and businesses in Central New York in 2023.

Here are 13 locations that are no more.

Gallery Credit: Credit - Polly McAdams

12 Upstate NY Recently Closed Restaurants I Have Loved

Over the last twenty five years or so, I have traveled tens of thousands of miles along the highways and backroads of Upstate New York researching and writing my ten regional travel books. Because I was on the road so long, I always was on the look out for a good place to eat. And there are many. It just dawned on my that some of these places that I so enjoyed a meal at are probably closed now. So I did some looking around. And I was right. Here are a dozen favorites of mine (I have eaten at all of them), that I only recently found out are closed. Some didn't survive the pandemic, others just closed having put in 50, 60, 70 and more years of service to their customers. I will miss stopping in at all of these places. Have you ever been to any of them?

Gallery Credit: Chuck DImperio