Despite announcing plans last year to expand in the Capital Region, all of the Baton Rouge market locations of take-and-bake pizza chain Papa Murphy’s have closed.
The Vancouver, Washington-based chain’s corporate communications office confirmed the closures, saying in an email the company’s local franchise owners decided to close the locations in mid-February.
Papa Murphy’s had two locations in Baton Rouge at 7620 Corporate Blvd. and at 17002 Jefferson Highway and a location in Zachary at 5875 Main St.
“The store closing was their personal decision,” the email says.
The local franchise owners—who are listed as Arkel Food Services, a limited liability company managed by George Knost III and Homer Knost, according to the Louisiana Secretary of State—could not be reached before this afternoon’s publication deadline, and it’s still unclear why they decided to close the Baton Rouge area restaurants.
In November, Gary Payne, Papa Murphy’s vice president of franchise sales, told Daily Report the chain planned to add eight new stores in the Baton Rouge area over the next three years.
“We target a different consumer than everyone else—it’s moms and families,” Payne said at the time. “There’s an upside to the brand and an opportunity to expand our brand. The first step is to build in the markets we’re already in.”
—Alexandria Burris
