When COVID swept through the country, Cicis Pizza was disproportionately impacted because of its buffet style and the amount of contact required by consumers. The company was forced to declare bankruptcy less than a year into the pandemic.
However, taped to president Jeff Hetsel’s desk was a company motto—never waste a crisis; adversity is an opportunity.
“We were owned by a PE group at the time, and they didn’t believe we were going to make it through,” he recalls. “But the people in our building looked at it as an opportunity to get stronger. Yes, there was a lot of fear. Yes, COVID was a worldwide tragedy, so I’m not making light of COVID, but for us it really helped us focus on what was great about Cicis.”
When dining rooms reopened, Cicis immediately placed glass in front of the buffet so guests could see everything, almost like a jewelry box, Hetsel says. Customers pointed to what they wanted, which gave employees an opportunity to connect during a time of loneliness and separation. The brand also closed about 100 stores during 2020 alone, but Hetsel refers to those closures as “addition by subtraction.”
Additionally, Cicis faced a data breach three years ago. Afterward, the chain replaced its technology in every store—new POS and ERP system—which helped modernize the brand.
“We all knew this too shall pass and we’re going to come out better for it, and we really have,” Hetsel says.
This year marks Cicis’ 40th anniversary, and Hetsel has been there for 33 of them. When he first arrived, with founder Joe Croce still involved, the company prioritized being the “the best pizza value anywhere.” The acronym version, TBPVA, is still the license plate of his car.
Decades later, the 270-unit Cicis finds itself in the same place. It’s an all-you-can-eat buffet, and if a customer doesn’t see a pizza they like, the restaurant will make it for them. When he started, the buffet was $2.99. Today, it’s $8.99.
“We have to work very, very hard every day to try to keep the lowest price, but also great quality and make sure that the guests get exactly what they want if they walk up to the buffet,” Hetsel says. “And if the pizzas aren’t their favorite kind of pizza like they would get delivered to their home, we’re willing to make it for you. It’s hot in the oven, fresh, and you can have as much as you want. There’s not a lot of people out there where you can go have a meal with everything we offer for that price.”
Cicis faces the same headwinds as everyone else, but one differentiating factor is the chain owns a distribution company called JMC Restaurant Distribution. It has a commodities buyer and logistics experts—everything necessary to source the best ingredients at the lowest price possible, leveraging its scale.
In addition to value, Cicis supplies a good amount of innovation. While the chain hasn’t historically leaned into LTOs, recent years have seen a shift. Thanks to a proactive marketing team, the brand now maintains a quiver of products it can deploy throughout the year—typically four or five annually. These offerings are chosen based on guest feedback and market trends. One example is the return of the Bacon Cheddar Tater Tot Pizza, which was brought back specifically due to overwhelming customer demand.
Cicis doesn’t compete on price in its marketing, but instead emphasizes new items and quality. The brand has found success partnering with well-known names like Oreo, Mike’s Hot Honey, and Eggo to create buzz-worthy, unique flavor experiences.
The mixture of Cicis’ value, innovation, and brand love has justified further unit growth.
The brand is mostly franchised, with Hetsel operating two stores himself. Cicis is working closely with franchisees to remodel every store in the network, and it’s about three-quarters of the way through this process. The remodeling initiative includes updated aesthetics—such as new colors and an overall refreshed vibe—while maintaining the brand’s traditional buffet format. Another notable evolution is the inclusion of larger game rooms in new builds. The company signed several development agreements last year, and four more are on the way in 2025. It’s also building stores in Thomasville and Atlanta, Georgia, three in the Carolinas, and some in Texas, where it has over 100 locations but plenty of whitespace.
Hetsel says that Cicis—privately held by SSCP Management and Gala Capital Partners—isn’t under pressure to grow.
“When you’re privately held and have no debt, you’re not under the same pressure that a company owned by a PE group’s under to grow at all costs,” Hetsel says. “So first we look for an awesome person and then we find an awesome site, and then we go from there, but we don’t really go out and find sites and try to stick somebody into it. We’re really looking for a great partner. We’re looking for great families that understand our mission: we’re teachers, preachers, and coaches, so you need folks that really understand and love guests.”
One major milestone is the construction of a new corporate store in Grapevine, Texas, just down the street from Cicis’ headquarters. The location will reflect the standard footprint of 4,000 to 5,000 square feet and incorporate updated design elements.
Along with physical upgrades, Hetsel also praises Cicis’ first loyalty program, which he sees as a powerful tool to deepen relationships with the most frequent and passionate guests and engage new customers. With a guest base that now spans generations, including parents who visited Cicis as kids and now bring their own children or grandchildren, Hetsel says technology has played a big role in enhancing that multigenerational connection.
“There’s other people that have a buffet. There’s other people that have large game rooms and those kinds of things, but I really look at us as being a completely unique company,” Hetsel says. “If you want a pizza delivered at home, we have third-party delivery, of course. If you want to have parties at Cicis, we have large dining rooms. If you want to do birthdays, we have games, but largely, people really come for the food and for the value. And I just don’t think we have a peer. We’re in a unique space and there’s not a lot of people that do what we do. And I think that’s a strategic advantage.”
