Fazoli’s returns to Tallahassee with double drive-thru pasta spot

Tallahassee’s Fazoli’s comeback turned into a live test of nostalgia as a business strategy, with fans already lining up by 10 a.m. at the new restaurant on 3122 Mahan Drive, next to Academy Sports + Outdoors. The chain’s return to the market came after years of anticipation, and the scene on opening day made clear that breadsticks and quick-service pasta still carry real pull here.

The new location officially opened Tuesday, May 19, in Mahan Village Shopping Plaza, bringing Fazoli’s back to a city where it had once operated on West Tennessee Street and Capital Circle Northeast before both stores closed more than a decade ago. This time, the brand returned with a different pitch: not a full-service Italian dining room, but a fast, drive-thru-driven format built for convenience.

That shift is central to what makes the Tallahassee restaurant notable. Fazoli’s said the site is its first-ever double drive-thru location, a move company leadership tied directly to the chain’s quick-service advantage. The restaurant also includes an outdoor patio and a modern interior, giving the revival a more updated footprint than the old locations many locals remember.

Fazoli’s has been serving Italian food since 1988 and now operates about 200 restaurants in 26 states. In Tallahassee, though, the real question is less about the chain’s national footprint than whether the opening-day rush translates into lasting demand for value-oriented pasta. The answer will likely be measured in repeat visits, not ribbon-cutting energy, because the brand’s appeal has always rested on speed, price, and familiar comfort food rather than white-tablecloth polish.

On opening day, that comfort-food formula was on full display. One customer bought breadsticks, baked ziti, Alfredo and cheesecake as a birthday gift for a family member, a small order that captured exactly how Fazoli’s fits into everyday dining: easy to grab, easy to share, and built around recognizable favorites. Steve Wilkens, the franchise owner, said he felt “good,” and a little anxious as the doors opened to the crowd.

The return had been circulating since 2022 and was formally announced in 2023, making Tuesday’s opening the payoff to a long wait. For now, Fazoli’s is back with a double drive-thru, a patio, and a fresh shot at Tallahassee’s appetite for chain Italian comfort food, but the real verdict will come after the opening-day line disappears.