John Psalmonds grew up an Air Force brat and after high school, joined the Army and served four years as a paratrooper. After his military service he attended Louisiana Tech and then went on to represent Hartford Insurance as Regional VP for the following 14-15 years. That’s where he ran across Rotolo’s in Baton Rouge just over 14 years ago. John had played sports all his life and always wanted to own a restaurant/bar. He saw the uniqueness of Rotolo’s and brought the franchise to Shreveport with the intention of only opening one as an investment. His 70th Street location has continued to be #1 in the franchise since it’s opening 14 years ago.

Rotolo’s was founded 20 years ago by Mitch Rotolo who, while working for Domino’s, wanted to do different things and his manager wouldn’t allow it. It has grown to just under 40 locations stretching from Texas to Florida. John purchased the territory from Texas to Monroe and since then, has sold the Ruston, Monroe and Texas territories because he wasn’t interested in traveling anymore.

Everything they have at Rotolo’s is made from scratch, nothing comes in frozen. They specialize in pizza, sandwiches, salads, wraps, calzones, desserts, BAKED chicken wings (recommends twice baked) and even breakfast. They’ve grown from the first craft beer location in Shreveport with 14 taps to 31 taps which he states still isn’t enough. They even have one that’s gluten free! With the success of the 70th Street location, John opened a second one about 1 1/2 year ago north of 220 on Benton Rd. in Bossier. About a year ago, he opened his third location in Blanchard and is now looking for his fourth and final location in the Haughton area.

Aside from the search for the newest location, John is also working on expanding his catering and recently hired Stephanie, his Catering Manager, who is currently designing a catering program for the entire franchise. They also have a private party room that holds up to 60 and can be reserved at no charge during the week. It’s not only a great place for a party but also a meeting, small conference or training.