Our Heritage

 Sicily is an island in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Italy.  The three different seas washing the Sicilian shoreline led it to be called the 3-cornered island or “Trinacria”.  Sicily is old world, rustic, agricultural and one of the poorest regions of Italy.  However, it was blessed with an abundant variety of agricultural resources.  Sicilian food means working class food, and Sicilian families are known for utilizing fresh vegetables and ingredients from the natural resources around them to make a variety of delectable dishes for their family and friends.

 In 1974, a son of Sicilian immigrants living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana opened the first Sicily’s Pizza restaurant based on his family’s recipes.  In keeping with its Sicilian heritage, Sicily’s combined the local ingredients and spices of its adopted Louisiana home with its Sicilian herbs to create a powerfully distinctive flavor profile.  The variety of recipes developed over the last 30 years has led to an award-winning buffet of Italian and Creole-Italian signature dishes, hence the name Sicily’s Italian Buffet.  Sicily’s continues to adhere to the Sicilian philosophy of using the local fresh ingredients of its surroundings to provide an environment where family and friends can enjoy the food, distinctive flavors and dine together at a value that the family can afford.

 Our Concept

 In 1993, Eric North, a multi-unit Sicily’s franchise owner with a Sicilian heritage and a passion for food, purchased the Sicily’s franchise company.  Eric, along with a core group of other multi-unit franchise operators, Mitch Castro, Allan Massie, and Ed Pfeiffer, developed and refined the Sicily’s Italian Buffet format and systems.  The company, systems and culture were built by franchise owner-operators with the customer and the franchise owner’s success in mind. 

SICILY’S ITALIAN BUFFET is all about the food. The now one-price pay-first buffet format allows Sicily’s to serve its large variety of quality Italian dishes in an environment that appeals to both the parents and the kids.  SICILY’S unique quality Italian dishes rival that of casual and fine dining restaurants, but are provided at a price point that the family can afford ($5.00 to $6.00, with kids under 3 eating free).  The food includes signature Italian entrees, award winning gourmet pizza, pasta with signature Italian sauces, salads, antipasta, soups, and desserts, including Sicily’s signature dessert pizzas, along with gourmet coffees and over 20 different beverages.  Five of SICILY’S gourmet pizzas, Eggplant Italiano, Sicilian Chicken, Seafood Artichoke, Seafood Gumbo, and Seafood Remoulade, have won national honors in contests sponsored by Pasta and Pizza Magazine and the International Pizza Festiva Contest. 

Our Direction

 Sicily’s currently has 10 restaurants operating in Louisiana and Mississippi with commitments for an additional 27 restaurants to be opened in the Gulf South Region of the United States.  Sicily’s is now ready to further expand its uniquely positioned concept and award winning food in the Gulf South and other parts of the country, and is awarding franchises to select individuals who will implement Sicily’s philosophy in their local markets.  For information about franchising in your market, click here.