Bozo’s Grocery is celebrating 68 years of serving up the finest fresh seafood, shrimp, crawfish, and signature seasonings on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Pascagoula staple has become a popular tourist attraction and a local favorite, and for a good reason — it’s delicious.
Owner Keith Delcambre began helping his grandfather at Bozo’s when he was a young boy, instilling in him a love for the family restaurant that continues to this day.
“This all started when I was 10 years old. I came to work for my grandfather, and every Saturday night, he would hand me a $50 bill and a $10 bill in a white envelope with my name across it. At the end of the summer, I bought a mini bike and learned that if I worked hard and saved my money, I could have anything I wanted,” Delcambre shared.
Sometimes, you just know what you know, and at 10 years old, Delcambre shared he knew he would work at Bozo’s with his family one day.
“I’ve always wanted Bozo’s to be the best it can be,” Delcambre said.” I could not have fathomed in my wildest dreams that it would be how it is now. It’s not something I’ve done alone; my employees and the community have been a great blessing. It’s their support that has made Bozo’s what it is today.”
Bozo’s opened its doors in 1957. Delcambre remembers his grandfather sending him to Slidell to pick up some oysters from his Uncle Doris in 1985. Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, this experience would be the birth of the famous Bozo’s po-boy.
“My Uncle Doris asked if I was hungry and fixed me an oyster po-boy,” Delcambre recalled. “I told my Dad we needed to offer something like that at our store. My Dad said, “Well, if that’s what you want to do, then that’s what you need to do.”
In 1985, po-boys were added to Bozo’s menu, and Delcambre’s mother and grandmother were the only ones who knew how to make them at first.
“The people over in Bozo’s (one) are the ones that have helped put it on the map; Dane Maxwell, who was mayor at the time, really helped with Bozo’s Too. Sometimes I see all the cars in the parking lot of the people going into Bozo’s Too, and it’s very humbling,” Delcambre expressed.
Sixty-eight years later, customers come from all over the world to experience the family-owned and operated business that offers premier seafood and hospitality.
“Without our customers, all of this wouldn’t be,” Delcambre stated. “All I do is just what my Dad told me to do–just open the doors to people and see what happens, and that’s what I do every day.”
