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Pizzeria Regina Files For Bankruptcy Protection

BOSTON (AP) — Iconic Boston-area brick oven pizza chain Pizzeria Regina has filed for bankruptcy protection and is closing four locations.

A spokesman for parent company Boston Restaurant Associates Inc. says the company entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings to get out from under several long and expensive leases. The chain is otherwise in good financial health.

The chain has closed underperforming locations at malls in North Attleborough and Watertown, Massachusetts; as well as in Nashua and Manchester, New Hampshire.

Chief Operating Officer Anthony Buccieri says there are no plans to close any of the chain's 15 other locations, including the flagship in Boston's North End that opened in 1926.

Buccieri says mall food courts are on the decline as consumers demand sit-down restaurants that serve specialty pizzas and offer bar service.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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