A popular pizza chain, which boasts NBA star Kevin Durant as one of its investors, has filed for bankruptcy following the closure of 90 of its locations.

Pieology, a California-based company founded in 2011, once operated 130 outlets at its height. The chain made a name for itself by allowing customers to personalize their pizzas with a wide variety of ingredients, earning it comparisons to Chipotle for its customizable dining experience.

On Tuesday, the chain’s parent company, The Little Brown Box Pizza, sought protection under Chapter 11 in a California court.

Pieology’s bankruptcy filing adds to a growing list of restaurant chains struggling to stay afloat this year, amidst rising food costs and reduced consumer spending on dining out. Additionally, staffing shortages have plagued many in the industry.

The chain offered a diverse menu including melty cheeses, chicken sausages, vegan meats, and gluten-free crusts, with pizzas priced between $9 and $20.

The chain had several A-list fans, including Durant, who was so taken with the assembly-line model that he invested.

‘I went to one of them and saw how quickly they did it and was really impressed with the quality,’ he told ESPN in 2017. 

‘I just felt like, given how fast our lives are these days, we don’t want to wait for our pizza anymore.’ 

Pieology boomed in 2022 to 130 locations. It now has only 40 restaurants, mostly in California

NBA star Kevin Durant invested in the company in 2017

While the terms of his investment remain undisclosed, Durant’s cash assist wasn’t enough to help the chain from closing nearly 70 of its locations in recent years.

Its 40 remaining restaurants are mostly located in California, with eateries in Texas, Florida, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.

Pieology filed for bankruptcy under a small-business provision that will allow the remaining stores to stay open.  

The bankruptcy filing shows the company’s debts now outweigh its assets by at least double, with more than 200 creditors lined up and everyone from landlords to food suppliers waiting to get paid. 

The chain’s former CEO, Shawn Thompson — a onetime Tim Hortons executive brought in during a 2022 expansion push — appears to have exited last month, according to his LinkedIn page.

As for Durant, it’s unclear where his investment stands, but Pieology’s bankruptcy filings say no one owns more than 10 percent of the company. 

The Little Brown Box Pizza reported assets between $100,000 and $500,000, against liabilities of $1 million to $10 million.

The company didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment. 

Pieology offeres a Chipotle-like dining experience where shoppers can select individual ingredients before their pies cooked in the wood-fired oven 

America’s fast-casual troubles 

Pieology’s struggles are part of a wider trend, with dozens of big-name chains shuttering stores, going private, selling off assets, or declaring bankruptcy.

In November, Pizza Hut and Denny’s both sold themselves after years of declining sales. 

Red Robbin is also quickly closing stores. 

Over the past year and a half, TGI Fridays, Red Lobster, Hooters, Bertucci’s, and On The Border have all filed for Chapter 11. 

They’re largely fighting a toxic mix of slowing sales and rising food costs. 

In September, the latest government inflation reading showed food prices for restaurants had climbed 3.7 percent, higher than the economy’s three percent overall rate. 

Meanwhile, Americans have increasingly soured on their ability to pay for things. 

In late November, surveys said that US shoppers were feeling he worst about the economy since April. 

At the same time, Americans have been on a health food kick, quickly turning what once were reliable profit drivers into greasy financial sludge.