With the recent closing of the Frederick restaurant at 5010 Buckeystown Pike, Maryland’s all-you-can-eat pizza scene has lost its last Cici’s slice. According to the CiCi’s Pizza website, this is the end of the well-known pizza buffet franchise. The restaurant is listed as closed on Google and Yelp, and the phone number for the Frederick location is no longer active. It has also been taken down from the company website.
Online users claim that VI Pizza, an independent business that now operates in place of Frederick Cici’s Pizza, has a similar buffet-style idea. Customers’ opinions, however, differ; some say VI Pizza offers a similar experience, while others complain that it isn’t the same as the cherished Cici’s.
This closure is in line with a Maryland trend for Cici’s Pizza. The chain also closed its Rockville shop, which was located in the Pike Center at 12111 Rockville Pike, a few years ago. In July 2020, Cici’s Pizza confirmed that the shutdown was due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on the economy. Following the closure of an earlier facility in Gaithersburg, the Rockville location was Cici’s final one in Montgomery County.
As the last Cici’s Pizza store in Maryland, the Frederick branch has been a popular spot for families and low-budget customers looking for a variety of pizzas, spaghetti, salads, and desserts in recent years. Even though it offers a comparable idea, its change to VI Pizza marks the end of an era for the national chain’s presence in the state. The closest place for Marylanders looking for the unique Cici’s experience is currently Virginia.
