DeSano Pizzeria in Cherry closed this week. Kristen Wile/UP

DeSano Pizzeria Napoletana has closed with a sign on its door. The wood-fired pizza spot was on Third Street in Cherry, just past Charlottetowne Avenue.

The sign reads: “Thank you for your patronage. DeSano Pizza has closed this location.”

According to a rep for the restaurant, the main issue has been hiring.

“We have had significant staffing issues from the beginning,” we’re told. “We have never been able to establish a consistent crew there and that caused our product quality and hospitality to be at levels that were not up to our brand standard. That led to poor performance results and we have decided to go ahead and close that store.”

Nothing has been posted yet on social media or the company’s website indicating the closure.

DeSano has a second Charlotte location in Waverly, which will remain open, as well as locations in California, Tennessee, and Texas. My favorite pizza on the menu was DeSano’s lasagne pizza, with tomato sauce, meatballs, ricotta, garlic, mozzarella, and pecorino cheese.

The city has seen an influx of wood-fired pizza shops over the last couple of years, with Inizio, DeSano, and Alino just a few of them. DeSano marks the first to close.

Closing with a sign on the door and no notice on social media is increasingly common of late; Rock Bottom Brewing and Hi Tide Poke did the same. —Kristen Wile