Some Baton Rouge restaurants start with a business plan. Rotolo's started with a pizza oven, a college bar scene and a founder who didn't want a desk job.

Where It All Began

In 1996, Mitch Rotolo opened the first Rotolo's Pizzeria in Baton Rouge, close enough to LSU to be called a pizza throw away. The original spot sat in Tigerland, right in the middle of LSU nightlife and decked out in purple and gold. According to Rotolo's, Mitch started the business as a protest against the 9-to-5 world.

Thirty years later, that one college pizzeria has become a franchise with more than 30 locations across the South. In 2016 the company added Rotolo's Craft & Crust, a scratch-kitchen version with 30-plus beers on tap and the same original sauce and dough. Rotolo's says each location makes its dough fresh every day, along with homemade sauces and freshly prepped vegetables.

Where to Find It in Baton Rouge

Craft & Crust, 411 Ben Hur Road, Suite D: open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. (225) 761-1999.

Pizzeria, 8342 Perkins Road: (225) 636-2646.

Pizzeria, 2985 Millerville Road, Suite B: (225) 388-5525.

Both pizzerias open daily at 11 a.m. and close at 9 p.m., except Friday and Saturday, when they stay open until 10 p.m.

What to Order

The Craft & Crust menu covers a lot of crust styles: Detroit-style pies with crispy frico edges, Chicago deep dish, 18-inch thin crust and 13-inch specialty pizzas. Add famous cheesesticks, wings, burgers, pastas and calzones. The Signature Sausage Detroit pie, with spicy sausage, whipped ricotta and a hot honey drizzle, is a good place to start.

Watch the weekly deals, too. On Wednesdays, calzones are $7.99 at all three Baton Rouge locations.

Thirty years in, the pizza place that started near LSU still feels like home.

Photo courtesy of Rotolo's.