Pieology, a pizzeria located at 620 E. Liberty St. in Ann Arbor, closed Tuesday, Oct. 23.
On the restaurant’s front door hangs a handwritten sign stating, “due to unfortunate circumstances beyond our control, this Pieology location is no longer open for business.”
University of Michigan student Jonah Erlich, an Engineering junior who said he eats at Pieology about every other week, read the sign with dismay. He said he was surprised, and noted the mystery surrounding “unfortunate circumstances.”
“I was mostly surprised,” Erlich said. “It kind of sucks, but I’m mostly just confused. Unfortunate circumstances is very vague.”
Pieology’s sudden closing reminded Erlich of BurgerFi closing in 2017, as they also notified customers with a sign on the door.
“What’s interesting is this is kind of how BurgerFi shut down a few years ago,” Erich said. “It was just kind of done one day. So I wonder if there’s some kind of city law or something.”
This Pieology location opened in summer 2015, replacing the former Borders bookstore. It was the California-based chain’s first location in the state of Michigan, preceding the opening of a Grand Rapids location. It’s known for its customizable pizzas and salads.
According to MLive, Hughes Properties CEO Ron Hughes, landlord of 620 E. Liberty, said Pieology had not yet given notice of closing as of Tuesday.
Though Erlich feels sad about Pieology’s sudden farewell, he is sure he’ll keep eating delicious pizza elsewhere.
“There’s a lot of good pizza in Ann Arbor, so I’m not too worried,” Erlich said.