MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WGNS) - Take-and-bake pizza chain Papa Murphy’s appears to have pulled out of Middle Tennessee completely as storefronts across the region go dark.
At the Murfreesboro store on Memorial Boulevard, workers taped paper over all windows and doors. Calls to store locations in Murfreesboro, Franklin, Hermitage, and Gallatin fail to connect or go unanswered. Additionally, Papa Murphy’s official online location directory at locations.papamurphys.com removed Tennessee entirely from its state list, jumping straight from South Dakota to Texas.
While company officials have not issued a local statement confirming specific store names, the apparent shutdowns coincide with major national downsizing. Parent company MTY Food Group announced during its Q2 fiscal 2026 earnings call that it is closing up to 50 underperforming corporate-owned locations across the country. MTY Food Group took over corporate store operations two years ago in a turnaround attempt. Executives cited severe financial losses across its corporate portfolio, noting that the targeted stores generated over CAD $10 million in losses over the preceding 12 months.
Company leadership explained that store closures were necessary where financial fundamentals no longer supported ongoing investment. The systematic closures began around mid-July 2026 as fast-casual pizza brands handle high operational costs, intense price competition, and changing consumer habits.
