to open five stores in the United Arab Emirates. In August 2016, a Grimaldi's at 656 Avenue of the Americas in Chelsea was seized by New York's tax department over back taxes. The location, which had previously closed for the same reason, closed again in 2018. In February 2018, a Grimaldi's pizzeria closed in Colorado due to tax debt and the Coloradoan reported that Grimaldi's Coal Brick-Oven Pizzeria at Foothills shopping center had had its property seized by the county government, after it had closed the month prior. The overall company, earlier that year, had opened its 50th US location, with restaurants in 16 states. Pandemic and delivery (2019-2022) Grimaldi's Pizzeria started a national domestic franchise program in April 2019. The franchising, however, was put on pause during the start of the coronavirus pandemic. In May 2020, Entrepreneur reported that Grimaldi's had pivoted entirely to a carry-out and delivery service model in response to the pandemic. The historic Brooklyn location, which had never offered delivery, began using delivery partnerships with other companies in early 2020, and an area was created for outdoor seating when patio dining was opened up by New York City. By later that year, the company had again started offering dine-in service in New York. In November 2020, the Grimaldi’s Pizzeria To-Go concept debuted in Scottsdale, Arizona in conjunction with Kitchen United. Again focusing on franchising deals, in 2021, it was announced that Grimaldi's was partnering with Power Brands Hospitality Group and opening a new location in Huntsville, Alabama, their first in the state. It was Grimaldi's first domestic franchising deal. At the time, Joseph Ciolli was CEO of Grimaldi's and the franchise had locations in South Carolina and Florida, as well as "to-go" locations in New York along with its primary Brooklyn location. In October 2021, the company continued to expand in Austin, Texas, with a full-service location after previously opening "to-go" locations. As of 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there were active locations in Meridian, Idaho, as well as Sparks, Nevada, and others in Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, New York, South Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin. According to its website, the company overall had 41 franchised locations in the United States in ten states, and the company stated it was looking to expand internationally, stating it had 43 restaurants in operation overall. All the locations "re-create the Brooklyn location" and import ingredients from the