A half slab on the bar at Slab in Portland in 2014. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

Slab Sicilian Street Food announced Monday that it will close at the end of the week, making it the latest in a slew of recent restaurant closures in Greater Portland.

The Preble Street restaurant said in an Instagram post it will close effective Saturday.

“Since the pandemic, people’s habits have definitely changed,” Slab General Manager and Chef Christopher Bassett said in a phone interview. “Alcohol sales are down, and we were highly focused on that.

“Our takeout sales and our pizza sales have been good, and our frozen pizza business is thriving, but a large-format space like what we have here, with live entertainment and patios and a large event space, just don’t seem to be what people are doing these days,” Bassett added. “Things aren’t the way they were 10 years ago when we opened.”

 

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Slab was first launched in 2014 by master pizza maker Stephen Lanzalotta, who developed a following for his pizza while working at Micucci Grocery. He died at 63 in 2022 after battling cancer for years. The restaurant was beloved for its thick-crusted, one-pound rectangular pizza slices.

“For over a decade, we’ve had the privilege to bring Stephen Lanzalotta’s masterpiece to the masses, and the reception has been overwhelmingly positive,” Slab’s Instagram post says. “We’re so grateful for the national recognition we’ve received and for our fans far and wide – we cannot thank you enough for your support and kind words through the years.”

The post said Slab will continue to sell its take-and-bake, rising-crust frozen pizza.

“We’re just focusing on our frozen pizza business at this point. That’s a better direction for our efforts,” Bassett explained. “We want to expand that and go national with it.” Slab’s frozen pizzas are already sold throughout New England, including Maine stores like Hannaford, Market Basket, Pat’s Meat Market and Rosemont Market & Bakery.

Over the last month, more than a half-dozen restaurants have announced their plans to close, from the 10-month-old Thistle & Grouse in Old Port to the 48-year-old Muddy Rudder in Yarmouth, many citing increased expenses and staffing issues.