In June of 2020, during the peak of the pandemic, a group of restaurant workers banded together and decided they were ready to make a change. Determined to open their own place – and run it by their own rules – they combined their talents and opened Misfits Dine & Drink, an upscale-casual Italian restaurant in Broussard.

One could say Misfit’s owner Sandra Lege began in the restaurant business as a toddler, where she iced donuts at her grandparents’ Abbeville store Brasseaux’s Donuts. “Actually, I ate the icing and slept it off in the car,” she confides.

Lege honed her restaurant skills working for various eateries, including Dean-O’s Pizza, owned by her aunt and uncle, and over the years she met and established strong working relationships with others in the industry, including her current general manager Michelle Garrett, who started in the business in her teens. The two met in 2007, while working at a local Italian restaurant. Misfits bar manager Jamie Maurin and Leger have worked together for almost 30 years, and completing the female contingent are restaurant manager Angelic Hossley, who started in the industry at age 14, and floor managers Jena Decou and Leigh Oncale. The sole male on the team: kitchen manager Miroslav Vidak, hailing from Croatia.

Location, Location, Location

It was while working together at another Italian restaurant, Lege and Garrett decided to open their own place. In early 2020 Lege started scouting locations and liked a space in the building that formerly housed Antler’s Seafood & Steakhouse. She was disappointed one day to see the “For Rent” sign had disappeared and assumed she missed the opportunity, but when Lege and Garrett met at Mel’s Diner across the highway to discuss alternate plans, they noticed that the sign was back. Sure enough, the space was available again, and the two jumped on it.

The building had been vacant for two years, so there was a lot of freshening up to do. “Anything that could be delayed was delayed,” Lege shares. The ladies couldn’t wait, and started cleaning before the lease even started. After repainting, replacing flooring and changing ceiling tiles, they were ready to go.

Once the lease was signed on March 31, 2020, the team had to come up with a name. Lege declared, “We’re going to name it after us!” The name “Misfits” was derived from the storied Island of Misfit Toys of the TV special “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

Making the Menu

Next, brainstorming began on the menu. With their combined Italian restaurant experience, the ladies knew that they wanted to offer classic staples, like spaghetti and meatballs and lasagna – but with a twist.

Theirs is not your typical Italian fare. The eclectic menu starts with “Lil Foods,” Lege’s mother-in-law’s nickname for appetizers, which includes combos, like Blackberry Flatbread, Monte Briscoe Rolls and Muffaletta Egg Rolls. On the salad side of the menu are Fried Chicken Spinach and Tuscan Tuna Salad, with your choice of house-made dressings. You’ll also find sandwiches (on po-boy bread) and “sammiches” (served on a bun), specialty pizza (regular or cauliflower crust), entrees (Dill Salmon and Chicken Picatta), pasta (regular or zoodles), and desserts.

Misfits now offers a Saturday and Sunday brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring creatively named entrées: Morning Glory Flatbread (What’s The Story?) – “A sausage, a bacon, and an egg meet up with some American and Mozzarella cheese and gather on a flatbread”; The Bayou Belgian – sweet waffle and fried chicken topped with a Steen’s Syrup pecan praline sauce and Zepolle; and Beignets Italian Cousin (Everybody Has a Cousin) – served with Carmichael’s honey. “It’s like if a sopapilla and a beignet had a baby,” Hossley says with a laugh.

Festive Vibes

The restaurant’s atmosphere is bright and festive, with upbeat music – consisting of Misfits’ customized mix (which you can follow on Spotify). Whether you’re stopping in for a cocktail or spending a special night out, Misfits fits the bill. “I like to describe Misfits as upscale casual, because you can come from one of the two ballparks that are within a few miles, or you can come for a date night, or you can come for a special occasion,” Lege shares.The spacious restaurant includes two party rooms that seat 20 to 40 and can be opened to accommodate 50 to 60. There’s also a large patio for al fresco dining.

“A lot of customers come in and say it’s such a good vibe in here,” Lege says. “We have a good feeling in here. The music is our own mix. Since we are a different age range – 27 to 55 – it’s a mix of all kinds of music.”

Partnerships and Patrons

Misfits’ team believes in supporting area businesses and uses local products whenever available. Partnerships include Nu Nu’s Fresh Market, where the restaurant gets its apple sausage; Cajun Power for its Bloody Mary Mix and its Blackberry Fruit Treat for the Blackberry Flatbread; Wildcat Brothers Distilling’s rum for cocktails and desserts, like White Chocolate Bread Pudding (with rum sauce); Carmichael’s Honey for brunch items; and Steen’s Syrup for Praline Pecan Sauce. Naturally, Louisiana seafood shows up on the menu, as well.

Misfits’ prominent location off Highway 90 in Broussard attracts a mix of customers, from oilfield industry workers to nearby residents from New Iberia, Broussard and Youngsville. Customers enjoy stopping by the full bar for ice cold beer (chilled to 28 degrees), $5 house wine and creative cocktails, like the Blueberry Lemondrop, Good Night Eileen (named after the songs “Goodnight Irene” and “Come on Eileen”), Love on the Rocks (“Ain’t no surprise it’s delicious”) and Nonc Buddy’s Old Fashioned – the house special. There are also lunch and kids’ menus.

Most of all patrons love the food. “It’s definitely different – the menu items, the choices, the food,” Lege explains. “No matter what you choose, it’s good… great actually. We have great customer service and attention to detail. We do care – we try to have what people want.”

With hundreds of restaurants in the Acadiana area, how did Misfits thrive during the pandemic? “We eat here every day – we don’t just cook,” Lege explains. “I always say, you can taste the love in the food. We put that extra little bit of love into each dish that we do, because we really do love what we do.”

Misfits is located at 200 Heritage Parkway off Hwy. 90 in Broussard and is open Monday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday.

MUST-HAVE DISHES

WONTON WINNER

Want to try one of Misfits’ top sellers? Created by general manager Michelle Garrett, the Crawfish Dip Wonton Chip is an extra-creamy app featuring Louisiana crawfish tails, green onions and spicy cheese dip, and is topped with mozzarella and served with crispy fried wonton chips. Talk about good!

PRIMO PASTA

Customers crave Mom’s Spaghetti and Meatballs. The house-made meatballs are smothered in marinara and served up with your choice of traditional spaghetti noodles or zoodles (zucchini pasta). Fun fact: this dish is not named after anyone’s mom; it refers to lyrics in Eminem’s song, “Lose Yourself.”

RACY REDFISH

The Crawfish Pepper-Jack Redfish is a great combination of sinful deliciousness and just enough healthy components to make yourself feel better about indulging. Try this fresh redfish fillet topped with spicy crawfish in a cheese cream sauce and served with roasted vegetables. You’ll love it!