The take-and-bake pizza company, Papa Murphy’s, has exited Tennessee. On the company website, Tennessee is no longer listed.
Papa Murphy’s has closed all of its Tennessee locations as its parent company moves forward with a plan to eliminate dozens of underperforming restaurants. Closure signs were found on locations in Franklin and Spring Hill recently.
MTY Food Group announced plans to close between 45 and 50 company-owned Papa Murphy’s locations following a review of its restaurant portfolio, reported Restaurant Dive. The affected restaurants collectively lost more than $10 million over the previous 12 months, and their performance continued to decline, according to MTY President and CEO Eric Lefebvre.
“The decision will reduce our store count in the near term, but we believe it is the right long-term action for the business,” Lefebvre said to Restaurant Dive. “It will allow us to reduce losses, improve the quality of the corporate store portfolio and focus our resources on locations and brands with stronger return potential.”
The Papa Murphy’s closures are part of MTY’s plan to shutter 68 company-owned restaurants across several of its brands over a six- to nine-month period. The closures represent about 1% of the company’s overall restaurant portfolio, including franchised locations.
Lefebvre said the restaurants would be closed in stages to allow the company time to assist employees, negotiate with landlords and address distribution issues. MTY may also sell or close additional company-owned restaurants in the future.
Papa Murphy’s has struggled more than many of MTY’s other restaurant brands in the United States. The take-and-bake pizza chain’s total store count declined from 1,168 locations in 2023 to 1,014 in 2025, with most previous closures involving franchised restaurants.
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