Upper Crust closes most locations

BOSTON (AP) -- A financially-struggling Boston-based gourmet pizza parlor chain has closed most of its restaurants and let go 140 workers as it seeks a cash infusion to stave off a permanent shutdown.

A trustee overseeing Upper Crust's bankruptcy said at a hearing Tuesday in federal bankruptcy court that the chain closed restaurants Monday night because it had just four days of supplies and only $14,000 in cash after company executives paid themselves a month's salary in advance.

The business, which filed for bankruptcy protection last month, needs $120,000 to keep doors open. The Boston Globe reported that if the company can obtain funding within few days, it could avoid a permanent shutdown. So far, Upper Crust has closed 10 of 16 locations.

The chain once had 20 locations in the region.