The All-You-Can-Eat Pizza Buffet That Nobody Remembers Anymore

If there's anything better than pizza, it's all-you-can-eat pizza. No matter which type of pie you're scarfing down — be it a prosciutto pizza with roasted asparagus and fresh peas or a New Haven-style apizza — an unlimited supply and the freedom to try different flavors for one price is a beautiful thing. And when restaurants throw in extras like limitless salad and desserts — well, does it get any better? Especially considering that all-you-can-eat offerings aren't as common these days.

One pizza chain, founded by a junior high school teacher, offers endless doses of all the good things you'd expect to find at a pizza bistro. In addition to à la carte pizza, pasta, wings, and more that can be ordered in the restaurant, Mazzio's features a pizza buffet complete with all-you-can-eat slices, a fresh salad bar, unlimited garlic cheese bread called Cheese Dippers, and bottomless desserts.

If you're now scratching your head thinking, "I've never heard of Mazzio's," that's because the brand only exists in 10 U.S. states as of May 2025. So if you don't live in one of those states — ranging from Texas to Georgia — it's not surprising you've never heard of the company, much less eaten at its restaurants. But the franchise, under its current branding, has been around since the 1970s. Prior to that, beginning in 1961, it operated under the names The Pizza Parlor and Ken's Pizza before rebranding as Mazzio's.

Strictly speaking, Mazzio's is not a small chain. The brand operates 104 restaurants as of January 2025 — more than various other brands whose names are better known among consumers. Benihana and Huey Magoo's, for instance — with the latter ranked among the very best fried chicken chains — have significantly fewer U.S. locations. Benihana has 98 operational U.S. sites as of publication, but of those, only 75 are full-service restaurants. The rest offer limited service from venues like sports parks and takeout/delivery locations. Huey Magoo's operates 78 U.S. restaurants.

In addition to Mazzio's, Mazzio's LLC — the company that operates the franchise — also runs restaurants under the Oliveto Italian Bistro brand. The company additionally offers a Mazzio's GO! concept, designed for incorporation into facilities like convenience stores, sports venues, and cafeterias. Neither of these brands offers buffet options, though. For all-you-can-eat, you have to visit a regular Mazzio's. The chain's buffets are available on weekdays at lunchtime or on Tuesday nights for a once-a-week dinner buffet (availability and exact hours can vary by location).

The late Ken Selby founded the chain in 1961, operating his first pizza parlor at night after teaching school during the day. For many in Tulsa, Oklahoma — where his startup location debuted — Selby's pie was their first exposure to pizza. The food, now such a mainstay in the United States, didn't start gaining widespread popularity in the U.S. until the 1950s. Selby himself first encountered pizza as a university student. He later moonlighted as a cook at one of the earliest Pizza Hut franchises before opening his own parlor.