VIDALIA — A familiar name will soon return to Vidalia to offer traditional pizza recipes with a Louisiana kick.

Johnny’s Pizza House, a company established in 1967 in Monroe, La., will soon open a store in Vidalia — a place the restaurant is no stranger to.

A Johnny’s Pizza House served residents in Vidalia in the 1980s from its location on Carter Street in the Vidalia Shopping Center.

The restaurant’s years of history in the area and a fondness of its pizzas is what led Todd Broussard of Calhoun, La., to purchase a franchise to bring to Vidalia.

“We love their product and just thought Vidalia would be a great market for the business,” Broussard said. “We’ve kind of been spreading the word a little bit, and we’ve gotten some really good feedback from the community.

“I think so many people were already familiar with the name and enjoyed it while it was there before, so that definitely helped.”

The other reason for brining the restaurant to Vidalia, Broussard said, is because he and his wife, Viki, plan to eventually move to the area.

“We have a camp on Lake St. John, and we’ve always enjoyed that area,” Broussard said. “Once our two kids go off to college, we will definitely be moving there.”

Broussard said he has a few options in mind for locations for the restaurant, but also said he was still weighing several options before committing to a location.

“It will definitely be in the City of Vidalia, but we’re still looking through all our options,” Broussard said. “The location as well as our dedication to the highest level of customer service will be very important to us in opening the restaurant.”

The restaurant will have a buffet and salad bar available for lunch, Broussard said, along with the full menu available for dine-in throughout the day for lunch and dinner. Delivery will not be available when the restaurant first opens.

“We’re hoping to open by the first part of the summer if everything falls into place,” Broussard said. “We’re going to see how things go, and delivery could be added on later down the road.”

The menu for Johnny’s Pizza House includes a variety of specialty pizzas like hog heaven, chicken ranchero and the Johnny’s original “sweep the kitchen.”

Muffulettas, salads, wings and other sides are also included on the menu.

There are currently 31 Johnny’s Pizza House restaurants operating in North Louisiana.

Broussard currently owns and operates three Quiznos sandwich restaurants in the Monroe area.