Piccadilly Restaurants

History

Piccadilly Restaurants was founded during World War II, by Tandy Hannibal Hamilton, who had already been in the cafeteria business for 21 years when he traveled to Louisiana to consider purchasing the small Piccadilly Cafeteria located on Third Street in downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Hamilton bought the existing cafeteria for $65,000 and closed the sale on February 1, 1944. Hamilton began building the business immediately, despite the wartime difficulties imposed by food rationing and equipment shortages. He contacted several friends and associates, some still in the service, encouraging them to join the operation. He also opened a small cafe just across Third Street from the Piccadilly, naming it Tandy's Eat Shop. He opened the cafe to provide temporary employment for those he was hiring as future chefs and managers as his Piccadilly chain expanded, and the establishment was sold off soon after the chain's expansion got under way.

To ensure quality control, Tandy Hamilton insisted on consistency throughout the burgeoning chain of cafeterias. He personally developed and field-tested most of the recipes used in each of the Piccadilly locales, but he also encouraged chain managers to submit their own recipes for his approval. Any such approved recipe would then be used at each establishment. Hamilton was also a great proponent of efficiency, partly because he was determined to keep his prices fair, the quality of the food high, and the portions generous. To that end, he and his staff worked out a precise system of purchasing and kitchen control designed to avoid food waste and other unnecessary expenses. During the 1950s, expansion boomed for Piccadilly’s cafeterias. Piccadilly now stands at about 60 cafeterias and still proves to be a beloved place for guests to enjoy home-styled delicious meals.

The company expanded in 1998 when it took over one of its major competitors, Morrison's Cafeterias.

In the 2000s Piccadilly expanded into the food service and disaster relief sectors.

In 2003, the company was purchased by the Yucaipa Companies and Diversified Investment Management Group. Piccadilly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2012.

Piccadilly Food Service

Piccadilly Food Service provides customized food service solutions for various clients spanning numerous industries, including schools, business complexes, surgical centers, business parks, senior centers, and more. Every menu is customized for a specific client and Piccadilly thus offers a wide array of options that caters to each of their clients' unique needs.

Piccadilly Emergency Service

Piccadilly Emergency Services provides meals in the wake of disasters across the United States. With their unique technology, Piccadilly can cook and serve up to 10,000 meals in three hours.

Some of the most notable servings include Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, where over 100,000 meals were served, and the April 2011 tornadoes in Chattanooga, Tennessee and nearby locales in Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia, where over 12,000 meals were served. As of 2013, Piccadilly Emergency Services have served over 500,000 meals on a moment’s notice.