A North Louisiana dining staple has finally made its way to Baton Rouge.
Johnny’s Pizza House, a 43-year-old Monroe pizza chain that started near the University of Louisiana-Monroe, is opening a location on Highland Road near Sammy’s Grill sometime next week, said franchise owner and manager Charlie Savoie.
Savoie said he fell in love with Johnny’s when he was a college student at Louisiana Tech in Ruston and wanted to bring one to Baton Rouge for years.
“It was always the topic of conversation with friends, ‘We need a Johnny’s in Baton Rouge, we need a Johnny’s in Baton Rouge,'” Savoie said.
Despite the success of Johnny’s in Monroe and Shreveport, the company opened stores in Arkansas and Texas before the 32nd Johnny’s came to Baton Rouge.
The University is important to Johnny’s success in southeast Louisiana, Savoie said.
“There’s people [at the University] from North Louisiana that were raised on and love Johnny’s Pizza,” Savoie said.
Savoie plans to cater to the University community with a 10 percent student discount and $1 off the lunch buffet with student ID, he said.
Savoie also said he is in the process of preparing the new location to accept TigerCASH.
Johnny’s is open until 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, according to Savoie. The pizza prices range from roughly $6 for a one-topping small pizza to about $20 for a few of the large specialty pizzas, according to the Johnny’s Pizza House website.
Though Baton Rouge is saturated with pizza restaurants that often emphasize alcohol specials or late night delivery, Johnny’s has a different kind of feel, Savoie said.
“Anybody who knows Johnny’s knows it’s a family-friendly atmosphere,” Savoie said.
Johnny’s will offer large tables and a large dining area, and also offers delivery and pick-up window, Savoie said.
Johnny’s Pizza House plans to open two more locations in Baton Rouge in the near future.
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Contact Frederick Holl at
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North La. pizza chain to open BR location
September 19, 2010