Cicis Pizza

Cicis Pizza was founded in 1985 by Joe Croce and Mike Cole in Plano, Texas, and is credited with inventing the unlimited pizza buffet format that became its defining concept. The chain grew rapidly through franchising after 1987, becoming the fastest-growing pizza chain in the United States in the early 2000s with over 500 locations. After emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021, Cicis now operates more than 300 restaurants in over 30 states, continuing to offer an all-you-can-eat buffet model with dozens of pizza varieties at a single low price.