Judice Inn

Judice Inn is a Moderne style building, built as a hamburger restaurant by the Judice family. Brothers, Marc and Alcide Judice, built the tiny restaurant on Judice family property in 1947 at the southern edge of Lafayette city limits. With the help and support of their wives, Pearl Cormier Judice and Gladys Bourque Judice, the brothers opened the business on a shoestring budget and with many long hours, since they worked full-time jobs elsewhere. The diner soon became a popular social scene for college students and business professionals alike. Judice Inn remains a favorite with its secret sauce and special seasoning, often called the “best hamburger in town since 1947”. Judice family members worked there over the years and have often returned to the Inn to visit with customers and lend a hand during busy hours. It is not unusual to be waited on by a lawyer, doctor, banker, engineer, accountant, teacher, nurse or business administrator when it’s busy. Moderne architectural elements of this Auto-Era building can be seen in the chrome coping and rounded edges at the roof eaves, the large expanse of plate glass windows at the street, and the tapering brick parapet wing wall at the diner’s entrance. Some of Lafayette’s cherished mid-century history can be seen in photos of early Judice Inn regulars displayed inside.