After a prolonged dispute over rent, the Boston Market restaurant on Park Avenue in Worcester is set to serve its last meal this Sunday. In a Facebook post by the Boston Market, the company expressed gratitude for the community's support over 33 years and teased the promise of a return in 2026 with a "brand-new location and a reimagined experience."
According to MassLive, the shutdown of 14 Park Ave. location is the product of a rent disagreement between Pandya and the building's landlord, WCC Realty. Pandya lamented the inflexibility of the landlord, saying, "The landlord is just not a flexible guy," and suggesting that the landlord's intransigence might be harmful to his interests. Despite efforts, "it's not worth it to keep going back and forth," Pandya concluded, signaling an end to the months of conflict over the commercial lease.
This closure comes on the heels of mounting financial troubles for the restaurant. Earlier this year, the Department of Revenue locked the doors for unpaid taxes, and two months after that, on the day slated for eviction, the restaurant attempted a bold move, reopening in defiance of the order. "I believe in the brand, I believe in the opportunity, I believe in the location. I love the community of Worcester," Ronak Pandya asserted in a previous statement to MassLive.
This location has had money problems long before Ronak Pandya took over. His father, Jay Pandya, previously ran the franchise and fell behind on more than $165,000 in rent, which led to a court ruling against the business. These issues were part of a larger trend, as Boston Market closed more than 200 stores nationwide between 2017 and 2023. Despite all this, Ronak Pandya said until recently that the debts to the landlord were paid and that he didn’t expect to leave the property, even with the state taking action, as detailed by MassLive.
Now, as the community bids farewell to a long-standing dining option, the restaurant asserts a hopeful note with plans for a comeback, leaving loyal patrons to wonder what the "reimagined experience" might entail upon their return in 2026. Pandya was unavailable for comment this Friday morning as the city prepares to say goodbye to the current iteration of Boston Market, as per MassLive.
