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If you're around my age (mid-30's) and grew up in Texas, chances are Cici's Pizza was a big part of your childhood.

It was a place you had lunch on a field trip, or where you stopped for dinner after a marching band competition. Maybe you had a birthday party there, or perhaps it was a place you went with your family after church or after a Saturday spent shopping.

Now it's being reported that the Plano-based pizza buffet chain has filed for bankruptcy after feeling a tremendous negative impact from the COVID-19 pandemic.

KDFW-TV reports it actually, as do several other news outlets including CNBC and QSR Restaurant News.

Here's the gist.

As you can imagine, buffet-style restaurants haven't had it easy during the pandemic. Aside from occupancy limits, there's also the fact that people are wary of buffets in general and are mostly looking for to-go and delivery options.

Cici's has offered carry-out pizza for years (I used to carry out their chicken alfredo pizza fairly often) and has started dabbling in delivery, but their buffet has been, it's reported, responsible for 99% of their business.

We've seen many businesses adapt to the times and find ways to keep serving their loyal companies, especially locally owned businesses. Remember when places like Pignetti's in Temple started selling groceries and even toilet paper in the early days of the pandemic?

Cici's wasn't able to do that as effectively as some places, so they're seeking Chapter 11 protection while they sell to D&G Investors, their primary lender.

Here's the silver lining if you're a Cici's pizza fan. The Dallas Morning News reports that they'll continue their operations, just under new ownership. Hopefully they and other businesses hurting during this ongoing pandemic can weather the storm

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