Chicago deep-dish chain Giordano's closes downtown Detroit restaurant

Chicago deep-dish pizza chain Giordano's didn't last long in downtown Detroit. 

The restaurant closed after less than two years at the spot near Greektown at 1224 Randolph. The location was previously a Bagger Dave's Burger Tavern. 

Giordano's, which has several restaurants in Illinois and other states, including one in Holland, had somewhat of an uphill battle with the downtown location. The deep-dish style took upward of 45 minutes to bake, making the spot a tough sell with the lunch crowd or those looking for a quick bite. 

When Detroiters think Chicago-style deep-dish, Pizza Papalis, which is just around the corner on Monroe in Greektown, is likely what comes to mind first. 

Giordano's also came to Detroit during a recent pizza blitz. Since late 2017 the downtown area has seen several new pizza concepts, including POP + Offworld bar arcade, Brass Rail Pizza Bar, Mike's Pizza Bar, La Lanterna, Mootz Pizzeria, San Morello and Grandma Bob's. Buddy's Pizza is also planning a downtown location and Michigan & Trumbull is set to open soon in Corktown. 

No one at the parent company could be immediately reached for comment.

The company's official Twitter account said the closing of the restaurant was "a business decision ultimately decided by the franchise owner."

"We are saddened by the decision of the franchisee to exit the market," said the tweet, which was in response to a posting of this story to Twitter. 

mbaetens@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @melodybaetens