How New Liquor Laws Forced Urban Pizza's Bangor Closure

If you are a drinker, there is a good chance that you would agree that pizza and beer go very well together.

Think about it, how many pizza places have you been to that do not serve alcohol? Sure, the ones that are mostly take out probably don't have a license to sell adult beverages, but nearly all of the sit-down pizzerias that you have ever eaten at probably had the ability to at least sell beer and wine.

While it is definitely possible for a pizza place to have a booming business without selling alcohol, some pizzeria concepts factor the sale of alcohol into their overall plan.

This is the case with Urban Pizza and is the reason why the brand has closed its Bangor location.

According to a post on the Urban Pizza Facebook page, the last day for the restaurant, which was located on Main Street in Bangor, was Wednesday.

The post says, in part:

Due to recent changes to Maine liquor license laws erratically and outrageously enacted by the Maine Legislature, we have been forced to reevaluate our business model and shift our focus toward bringing our core locations into long-term compliance. These new laws have changed the number of licenses our ownership group can hold, which means we are no longer able to keep a liquor license allocated to Urban Pizza while also prioritizing our other long-term model and locations. If these laws had not abruptly changed, we would have continued operating this location for the long haul.

It goes on to explain that even though the Bangor location is closing, the Urban Pizza concept isn’t going anywhere.

The plan is to relocate it to a building in Bar Harbor where a liquor license is already in place, allowing the brand to continue in a way that fits current laws. The team is working toward reopening behind Blaze in Bar Harbor, and they’re hopeful a new and exciting pizza spot will take over the Bangor location.

They also thanked state legislators who made an effort, though ultimately unsuccessfully, to help resolve the issue, and say they look forward to continuing those conversations moving forward. Updates will continue to be shared as plans for the Bar Harbor reopening come together.

Of course, we are sad to see them close, but wish them all the best.