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CiCi's PizzaThe Best Food Value in Baton Rouge Keeps Getting BetterWith two stores in Baton Rouge and several more on the horizon, CiCi's Pizza owner John McClure knows he has a good thing going. His pizza franchises offer arguably the best food value in town: fine pizzas, salads, and desserts that are delectable to the palette and easy on the pocketbook. A well-deserved reputation for freshness and value makes CiCi's an easy choice for lunch or dinner.
Where else in town can $3.99 buy an all-you-can-eat trip to any buffet, much less one this tempting and diverse? Answer: Only here, at CiCi's locations on Siegen and Corporate Boulevard. "Every item is fresh," says John, who notes that his stores don't have freezers because they don't need them. "We have the capacity to bring in fresh groceries every day. One of the advantages of being as busy as we are is the fact that we always have fresh product coming out of the oven. Our pizzas and all of our desserts are made fresh from scratch every day. "Most of our ingredients are distributed exclusively through our home office for CiCi's," John adds. "Since we distribute to ourselves, we have the buying power of nearly 500 stores nationwide. As a result, I'm able to buy real cheese at a competitive price, while our competition has to buy imitation cheese to cut corners." Imitation cheese? That's right. Most chain pizzas use a synthesized cheese by-product to keep costs low. Small wonder they don't taste very good. "We use real, Wisconsin mozzarella cheese -- a big part of why are pizzas are delicious," says John. "The taste of the dough, the sauce, and the cheese is the foundation of the entire pizza experience. If you don't get these things right, it won't be a good pizza -- no matter how much pepperoni you put on it." As if sixteen kinds of delicious pizza were not enough, CiCi's also offers custom pizzas at the customer's request. "Nothing is out of bounds," says John. "Our guests get catered to, and that includes special orders. If we have the requested items to put on a pizza, we'll put them on."
For two years running, CiCi's has been selected Chain of the Year by Pizza Today magazine, the industry's leading trade journal. In selecting CiCi's over franchises such as Domino's and Godfather's, executive editor Jeremy White noted that Cici's has become "a rising star in the pizza industry" due to "great people, great franchise support and great execution. (CiCi's) is truly a model for others in the pizza business." Cici's president Craig Moore calls the chain's trademark all-you-can-eat-buffet "our mother ship" and notes that a family of four can eat for $13 to $17.
When I joined this company over a decade ago, I said, 'Wow, CiCi's really has it together.' Whether you're looking for a quick business lunch, a place to go after your church activities, somewhere to take the kids after the movies, or whatever your circumstance, you're getting the same great offerings and a level of service you won't see at a typical fast food restaurant."
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"We always have a terrific variety of pizzas on the buffet," says John. Toppings range from standard favorites such as pepperoni, Italian sausage, anchovies, and jalepeno to Cici's specialties including alfredo, spinach alfredo, barbeque pork -- John's personal favorite -- bacon cheddar, taco pizza, and deep dish in a variety of flavors. Leave room for garlic bread and pasta choices, a well-stocked salad bar, and of course dessert.
If you decide to leave room for dessert, a variety of treats await you at the end of the buffet. These include superb cinnamon rolls, Bavarian creme rolls (the vanilla topping has a hint of butterscotch), chocolate brownies at the Corporate location and chocolate creme at Siegen; plus apple crumb pizza, a fruit-flavored offering which John says is a particular favorite with kids. Each dessert choice, of course, is always piping hot and oven-fresh.
With nearly 11 years of CiCi's experience, beginning as a district and store manager in Houston, and the past five years as an owner here in Baton Rouge, John McClure represents the company name with a commitment to excellence that goes beyond serving great pizzas, salads, and desserts. Says John: "What I enjoy most is the personal interaction with my customers," several of whom greet him during the course of this interview. Big John, as he is affectionately called, says Baton Rouge is the perfect size for him and his family, and plans to open four to six more CiCi's restaurants in the Baton Rouge area in the future.
