Overview
- Boloco announced on Tuesday that its final location at 50 Congress St. in downtown Boston will close permanently on Sept. 25, 2026.
- The company said the landlord sold the building and the city’s Planning Board approved in May 2026 plans to convert the site into 169 residential units, which requires the ground floor to be vacated.
- Founded in 1997, Boloco grew to about 22 restaurants at its peak and fell to one location after years of lease nonrenewals and financial pressure following the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Co-founder John Pepper, who repurchased the chain in 2015, credited his long-serving staff and a company focus on livable wages for keeping the Congress Street shop open while the team looks for new downtown vacancies.
- The redevelopment will add 169 rental apartments including 34 affordable units, a shift that could boost downtown housing but also displace a neighborhood-serving food option and affect the roughly 17 employees who work at the last Boloco.