Davis’ Hot Italian pizza shuts its doors

The Hot Italian pizza restaurant in Davis has closed, according to a Facebook post.

The Tuesday post began with: “Thank you Davis for the past two years and for eating a lot of pizza! This Hot Italian has now concluded.”

The restaurant opened at 500 First St. in 2016.

Sacramento's Hot Italian restaurant at 1627 16th St. in Sacramento remains open, and the Hot Italian in Emeryville also continues on. The Facebook post for the Davis restaurant closing thanked the community but did not offer details that led to the closing.

Attempts to reach Hot Italian co-founder and Creative Director Andrea Lepore on Wednesday were unsuccessful. An employee answering the phone at the Sacramento restaurant said Lepore was "no longer with the company" and referred calls to a business consultant.

The consultant said Lepore was a primary manager of the Davis restaurant but not the other Hot Italian operations.

Lepore and Fabrizio Cercatore founded Hot Italian, opening the midtown Sacramento eatery amid the recession in 2009. Over time and with the improving economy, the Sacramento pizza bar became increasingly popular and was well reviewed on consumer sites.

The Sacramento restaurant also became known for its friendly acceptance of downtown bicyclists, and its extensive installation of energy-saving devices.

This story was originally published April 4, 2018 at 10:32 AM with the headline "Davis’ Hot Italian pizza shuts its doors."