800 Degrees Unceremoniously Closes First-Ever Location in Westwood

When it first opened back in 2012, 800 Degrees Pizza brought Los Angeles a new kind of fast-casual Neapolitan pizza restaurant where pies would go into a woodfired oven for just a few minutes for around $7 to $8. Now the world has seen plenty of these quick-fire pizza places using a Chipotle-style model of build-your-own dish, from Blaze to Pieology and beyond.

Now the original Westwood location of 800 Degrees has closed after a six year run, reports the Daily Bruin, though the chain has plenty of outlets spread across the country and even internationally. With investment from the likes of NBA star Dwyane Wade and private wealth funds, the rebranded 800 Degrees Woodfired Kitchen now has restaurants in LA, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Doha, Seoul, and Dubai. Former Michael Mina corporate chef Anthony Carron first founded 800 Degrees with Adam Fleischman and Allen Ravert at this Westwood spot in January 2012. Carron issued the following statement regarding the closure:

We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of emotions from our customers and are so grateful to the Westwood community for their support and patronage over the years. When we started 800 Degrees years ago it was with the intent to serve great pizza to the local community. The industry has changed and the eating habits of our customers have evolved beyond just pizza. To meet this demand, the 800 Degrees brand has expanded our concept to include a woodfired kitchen concept. Our Westwood location in its current state was not able to make this transition. We love Westwood and are working towards coming back to the neighborhood with our evolved concept and an expanded menu. We hope our guests will visit us at our nearby locations where we serve the same great pizza they have come to love, in addition to other woodfired menu items.

This statement seems to indicate that 800 Degrees’ pivot to a more balanced menu of things like rotisserie chicken, salads, and meatballs meant that the Westwood restaurant’s kitchen wasn’t able to accommodate the new items. 800 Degrees continues to operate in Santa Monica, Hollywood, and Downtown LA.

800 Degrees. 10899 Lindbrook Drive. Los Angeles, CA 90024.

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