Cicis Pizza

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An American buffet restaurant chain centered on all-you-can-eat pizza and a broad selection of casual dining items.

Last updated October 30, 2026

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Overview

Cicis Pizza, also known simply as Cicis, is an American buffet restaurant brand specializing in pizza and related casual dining foods. The business was founded in 1985 by Joe Croce and Mike Cole in Plano, Texas, and began franchising in 1987. Its principal proposition was an all-you-can-eat buffet combining multiple pizza varieties with salads, pasta, soups, wings, desserts, and other low-cost family-dining items. This buffet format distinguished Cicis from conventional pizza chains that primarily relied on takeaway and delivery. The chain expanded rapidly during the 1990s and 2000s. In 2001, when it had 363 restaurants, Cicis broadened its buffet range and began remodeling restaurants. By 2005, it had exceeded 500 locations and was described as one of the fastest-growing pizza chains in the United States. The company’s growth depended substantially on franchising and on a standardized, value-oriented restaurant format designed for families and groups seeking predictable pricing and variety. Ownership and leadership changed during the 2000s. Joe Croce retired in 2003 and transferred ownership to the company’s executive team. Craig Moore, who had joined the business as a Dallas general manager, became a senior operating leader and later president. Moore announced his retirement in 2009 after 17 years with the company. Michael Shumsky, formerly chief executive of La Madeleine Restaurant, Inc., subsequently led the chain, followed by Darin Harris in 2013. Harris left in January 2018, after which Bill Mitchell became interim chief executive and was appointed permanently in March of that year. In November 2015, the company introduced a significant brand refresh. It simplified the public-facing name to “Cicis,” dropped the apostrophe and the word “Pizza,” redesigned its logo and website, and used the positioning line “Beyond Pizza.” The effort was intended to emphasize that the chain offered more than pizza, including pasta, salads, soups, chicken wings and desserts. Pizza remained the core product, with traditional varieties such as pepperoni, meat-lovers, vegetable, supreme and Hawaiian, alongside specialty combinations including macaroni and cheese, barbecue pork and Buffalo chicken. Cicis faced new pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its buffet-centered model was especially vulnerable to restrictions on shared food-service areas, and the company derived less benefit from delivery than many traditional pizza competitors. Cicis filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2021 and reached an agreement to sell its business and approximately $82 million in liabilities to its primary lender, D&G Investors. The company completed the sale and emerged from bankruptcy approximately two months after filing. The restructuring left Cicis operating as a privately held restaurant brand rather than a publicly traded company. The brand has received recognition in consumer and franchise rankings, including multiple third-place finishes in the pizza category of Restaurants & Institutions’ Consumers’ Choice in Chains contest between 2004 and 2009. Men’s Health also gave the chain strong marks for the availability of healthier choices in a 2009 review of major restaurant chains. Cicis remains associated with affordable, family-oriented buffet dining, broad menu variety and value for groups rather than premium ingredients or a highly specialized restaurant experience.

History

Cicis Pizza began in 1985 when Joe Croce and Mike Cole opened the first restaurant in Plano, Texas. The concept was built around an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet, a format that offered customers a fixed-price meal with a wide selection of pizzas and side dishes. The model targeted families, groups and value-conscious diners, and it allowed the company to serve multiple tastes within a single visit rather than relying on individual made-to-order meals. Cicis began franchising in 1987, enabling expansion beyond its original market. By 2001, the chain had 363 restaurants and was expanding its buffet selection while remodeling locations. These initiatives aimed to modernize the restaurant environment and make the buffet more central to the customer experience. By 2005, the company had grown to more than 500 locations and was regarded as one of the fastest-growing pizza chains in the United States. The business remained principally domestic, although in 2010 it discussed the possibility of adding 500 restaurants over the following decade and considered future expansion into Canada and Mexico. A leadership and ownership transition occurred in 2003, when Croce retired and transferred ownership to the company’s executive team. Craig Moore, previously a general manager in Dallas, became a senior company executive and eventually president. During his tenure, the chain continued to focus on operations and franchise growth. Moore announced his retirement in 2009 after 17 years with the company. Michael Shumsky, formerly associated with La Madeleine Restaurant, Inc., succeeded him as chief executive. Shumsky retired in August 2013, and Darin Harris became chief executive. Harris departed in January 2018, with Bill Mitchell first serving as interim chief executive and then receiving the permanent appointment in March 2018. The company undertook a notable repositioning in November 2015. It changed its consumer-facing name from CiCi’s Pizza to Cicis, removing the apostrophe and the word “Pizza,” and launched a new logo, website and “Beyond Pizza” marketing platform. The strategy sought to broaden perceptions of the brand by highlighting non-pizza menu items such as pasta, salads, soups, chicken wings, dessert pizza, cinnamon buns and brownies. The rebrand retained pizza as the central offering but presented the chain as a more comprehensive buffet restaurant. Cicis’ pizza range included familiar options such as pepperoni, meat-lovers, vegetable, supreme and Hawaiian. It also developed specialty varieties, including macaroni and cheese, barbecue pork and Buffalo chicken. Later product activity included the 28-inch Piezilla pizza in 2022, a large-format offering designed to create attention and reinforce the chain’s emphasis on abundance and group dining. In 2026, Cicis partnered with Twitch streamer CaseOh for a promotional stream in which he prepared a homemade version of the chain’s macaroni and cheese pizza; the item was temporarily renamed Mac & CaseOh Pizza for the promotion. The buffet model became a major vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions and customer concerns surrounding shared food-service areas affected buffet restaurants, while Cicis had fewer opportunities to offset lost dine-in traffic through delivery than pizza chains organized around takeout. In 2021, Cicis filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company had reached an agreement to sell itself and approximately $82 million in liabilities to D&G Investors, its primary lender. The sale was completed and Cicis emerged from bankruptcy approximately two months after the filing. The brand has received mixed external attention. From 2004 through 2009, it placed third in the pizza category of Restaurants & Institutions’ Consumers’ Choice in Chains contest, which was based on consumer evaluations. In 2009, Men’s Health gave Cicis strong marks for the availability of healthier food choices in a comparison of major restaurant chains. At the same time, the chain’s low-price buffet concept has sometimes been treated skeptically in commentary about restaurant concepts. Cicis’ continuing identity is therefore closely tied to affordability, variety, self-service dining and family-oriented value.

2026
CaseOh promotional collaboration
[1]Cicis Pizzaen.wikipedia.org
Cicis collaborates with Twitch streamer CaseOh and temporarily promotes its macaroni and cheese pizza as Mac & CaseOh Pizza.
2022
Piezilla giant pizza
[1]Cicis Pizzaen.wikipedia.org
The chain offers a 28-inch pizza known as Piezilla.
2021
Chapter 11 restructuring and sale
[1]Cicis Pizzaen.wikipedia.org
Cicis files for Chapter 11 protection during the COVID-19 pandemic and completes a sale to D&G Investors, including approximately $82 million in liabilities.
2018
Bill Mitchell takes over as chief executive
[1]Cicis Pizzaen.wikipedia.org
After Darin Harris leaves the company, Bill Mitchell becomes interim chief executive and is appointed permanently in March.
2015
Cicis brand refresh
[1]Cicis Pizzaen.wikipedia.org
The chain adopts the shorter Cicis name, launches a redesigned identity and website, and introduces the “Beyond Pizza” positioning.
2013
Darin Harris becomes chief executive
[1]Cicis Pizzaen.wikipedia.org
Darin Harris succeeds Michael Shumsky as chief executive after Shumsky’s retirement.
2010
Plans for additional expansion
[1]Cicis Pizzaen.wikipedia.org
Cicis announces plans to add 500 restaurants over the following decade and considers possible expansion into Canada and Mexico.
2009
Leadership transition and consumer recognition
[1]Cicis Pizzaen.wikipedia.org
Craig Moore announces his retirement, while Cicis receives strong marks from Men’s Health for healthier food choices and continues its third-place run in the Consumers’ Choice in Chains pizza category.
2005
The chain surpasses 500 locations
[1]Cicis Pizzaen.wikipedia.org
Cicis exceeds 500 restaurants and is described as one of the fastest-growing pizza chains in the United States.
2003
Joe Croce retires and ownership changes
[1]Cicis Pizzaen.wikipedia.org
Co-founder Joe Croce retires and transfers ownership to the executive team.
2001
Buffet expansion and restaurant remodeling
[1]Cicis Pizzaen.wikipedia.org
With 363 restaurants, the chain broadens its buffet offering and starts remodeling locations.
1987
Franchising begins
[1]Cicis Pizzaen.wikipedia.org
Cicis begins using franchising to expand its restaurant network.
1985
Cicis is founded in Plano, Texas
[1]Cicis Pizzaen.wikipedia.org
Joe Croce and Mike Cole establish the pizza buffet chain in Texas.

Products and positioning

Affordable, family-oriented all-you-can-eat buffet dining with broad menu variety.

Core dining format · 1985
All-you-can-eat pizza buffet
Cicis’ defining offering is a self-service buffet with unlimited access to multiple pizza varieties for a fixed-price meal. The format is designed for families and groups, allowing diners to sample traditional and specialty pizzas during one visit. Pizza is replenished as part of the buffet experience rather than sold solely as individual takeaway items.
Pizza
Traditional pizzas
The traditional range includes familiar American pizza styles such as pepperoni, meat-lovers, vegetable, supreme and Hawaiian. These options support the chain’s broad-appeal buffet strategy and provide recognizable choices for customers with different preferences.
Pizza
Specialty pizzas
Cicis has supplemented standard pizza flavors with novelty and specialty combinations, including macaroni and cheese, barbecue pork and Buffalo chicken. These products broaden the buffet’s variety and reinforce the company’s effort to offer distinctive choices beyond conventional toppings.
Large-format pizza · 2022
Piezilla
Piezilla is a giant 28-inch pizza offered by Cicis in 2022. Its unusually large size functioned as both a group-serving product and a promotional expression of the brand’s abundance-oriented positioning.
Sides and prepared foods
Buffet side dishes
Beyond pizza, the buffet has included chicken wings, pasta, salads and soups. These items support the “Beyond Pizza” positioning introduced during the 2015 brand refresh and make the restaurant more suitable for mixed-group dining.
Dessert
Desserts
Dessert offerings have included dessert pizzas, cinnamon buns and fudge brownies. These products extend the buffet meal into a full family dining occasion and add sweet options to the otherwise pizza-centered menu.

Marketing campaigns

2026CaseOh collaboration
United States
Cicis partnered with Twitch streamer CaseOh for a promotional stream in which he prepared a homemade version of the chain’s macaroni and cheese pizza. The macaroni and cheese pizza was temporarily renamed Mac & CaseOh Pizza for the promotion.
Outcome. The macaroni and cheese pizza was temporarily renamed Mac & CaseOh Pizza for the promotion.
Source
2015Beyond Pizza
United States
Cicis introduced a new marketing platform alongside a simplified name, redesigned logo and updated website. The campaign presented the restaurant as more than a pizza chain by emphasizing pasta, salads, soups, wings and desserts in addition to its core buffet.
Outcome. The campaign established the Cicis name and “Beyond Pizza” positioning as the brand’s updated consumer-facing identity.
Source

Brand decisions

2022
Launch of the Piezilla giant pizzaProduct launch
Background
Cicis continued to use large-format and novelty products to create attention around its abundance-oriented restaurant proposition.
Action taken
The chain offered a 28-inch pizza called Piezilla.
Aftermath
The product served as a large group-oriented and promotional menu item.
Source
2021
Chapter 11 restructuring and lender-led acquisitionOther
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic placed pressure on Cicis’ buffet-centered dine-in model, and the company had less ability to offset disruption through delivery.
Action taken
Cicis filed for Chapter 11 protection and agreed to sell the business and approximately $82 million in liabilities to primary lender D&G Investors.
Aftermath
The sale was completed and the chain emerged from bankruptcy approximately two months after filing as a privately held business.
Liabilities included in the proposed sale. $82 million (2021)
Source
2015
Adopt the Cicis name and broaden the brand propositionStrategy
Background
The company sought to communicate that its restaurants offered a wider buffet experience than pizza alone.
Action taken
Cicis removed the apostrophe and the word “Pizza” from its consumer-facing name, redesigned its visual identity and website, and introduced the “Beyond Pizza” message.
Aftermath
The refresh positioned the chain as a broader buffet restaurant while retaining pizza as its central product.
Source

Recent events

2026
Cicis collaborates with Twitch streamer CaseOh[1]Cicis Pizzaen.wikipedia.org
Campaign · Product launch
Cicis collaborated with Twitch streamer CaseOh in a promotional stream featuring a homemade version of the chain’s macaroni and cheese pizza. The product was temporarily promoted under the name “Mac & CaseOh Pizza.”
2022
Cicis introduces a 28-inch Piezilla pizza[1]Cicis Pizzaen.wikipedia.org
Product launch
The chain offered a giant 28-inch pizza as a large-format product and promotional item.
2021
Cicis files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection[1]Cicis Pizzaen.wikipedia.org
Bankruptcy
The buffet chain entered Chapter 11 during the COVID-19 crisis, citing pressure on a restaurant model that was less suited to delivery and subject to restrictions on shared buffet service.
2021
Cicis completes sale to D&G Investors and exits bankruptcy[1]Cicis Pizzaen.wikipedia.org
Bankruptcy · M&A
Cicis completed an agreed sale to its primary lender, D&G Investors, in a transaction that included approximately $82 million in liabilities, and emerged from bankruptcy about two months after filing.
2015
Cicis begins a major brand refresh and adopts the shorter name Cicis[1]Cicis Pizzaen.wikipedia.org
Campaign
The company introduced a redesigned logo and website, dropped the apostrophe and the word “Pizza” from its consumer-facing name, and promoted the broader proposition “Beyond Pizza.”

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