Philly cheesesteaks, Italian ice. Restaurant in Byron has food ‘you’ve never had before’

Although Italian Ice has recently become a popular treat in Middle Georgia, this restaurant in Byron brought it here back in 2016.

Sherrod Dillard, owner of Philly Italian Water Ice in Byron, said when he and his family moved to Middle Georgia from Philadelphia in 2014, he couldn’t find a place that sold Italian ice or authentic Philly cheesesteaks, so they decided to start a business.

“We’re from Philadelphia. Our food is authentic,” he said. “Everything on the menu you’ll fall in love with because if you’re not from up North, it’s something that you’ve never had before.”

Dillard and his family moved to Middle Georgia in January 2014 because his friend who was in the military started a trucking company and asked Dillard to be one of his managers.

However, after nine months, Dillard’s friend decided to shut down the business, so Dillard started working for the Houston County Sheriff’s Office.

One weekend, Dillard and his family went to Smiley’s Flea Market for the first time in 2016, and there was a snow cone truck there.

Of course, his 3-year-old son saw the truck and immediately wanted a snow cone, so Dillard bought him one.

“After one bite, he ended up just throwing it in the trash at 3 years old,” Dillard said.

Dillard started looking for a place that sold Italian ice, but he was unsuccessful. He and his family decided they would bring it to Middle Georgia by opening a stand at Smiley’s Flea Market, he said.

“We need to change the game, and put Middle Georgia onto some water ice, some Italian ice,” Dillard said.

After a few years of selling Italian ice on the weekends at Smiley’s and working for the Sheriff’s Office, Dillards started looking for a location to open a store front.

“We had a lot of customers that wanted the Italian ice throughout the week, but the flea market was only on the weekends, so we decided to open up a store.”

The initially were looking for a location in Warner Robins, but they came across the plaza in Byron and decided it was perfect for their needs.

Philly Italian Water Ice, at 100 Hamilton Pointe Drive, officially opened in July 2019. At the time of the opening, Dillard’s 5-year-old son picked out the logo, and the restaurant remains family owned and operated, Dillard said.

Dillard plans to extend the restaurant’s hours in the next couple of weeks in order to appease customers, and they plan to open a food truck in the spring of 2024, he said. Announcements will be posted on the restaurant’s social media pages.

Although the restaurant already caters its Italian ice, Dillard said it’s difficult to cater the food without a food truck, which helped them make their decision. They are currently looking for a truck to purchase, he said.

Cheez Whiz or white American cheese?

Dillard also had a negative experience with a sandwich he received that the makers called a Philly cheesesteak.

He went to a sub restaurant, which caused him to question the restaurant because, to him, sandwiches are either cheesesteaks or hoagies. He saw a Philly cheesesteak on the menu, so he decided to give it a try.

It was disgusting. The sandwich was super greasy and not at all the type of cheesesteak he has had in Philadelphia, he said. So, when he opened Philly Italian Water Ice, he wanted to add authentic Philadelphia food to the menu.

DuShaun Dillard, Dillard’s cousin who recently moved down to Middle Georgia to help with the restaurant, said he’s had similar experiences. He compared it to going to a restaurant with a person who doesn’t tip, so you leave an extra large tip.

“I came down here and I saw everybody has what they call a Philly. It’s disrespectful,” he said. “I feel like it’s so misrepresented down here that I feel like we have to overcorrect.”

In Philadelphia, there is a great debate over which cheese makes the Philly cheesesteak. In north Philadelphia, the preference is white American cheese, but in south Philadelphia, Cheez Whiz is the cheese of choice.

Dillard is from north Philadelphia, so he prefers white American cheese, but he said his restaurant offers both options as well as provolone because provolone is the popular cheese in Georgia.

Philly Italian Water Ice offers a variety of cheesesteaks as well as pretzels, funnel cakes and other hoagies and desserts.

Highs and lows

Dillard said he has faced many challenges as a business owner, the biggest of which is the fact that he cannot serve customers inside his restaurant.

The restaurant only serves customers through its drive-thru because it doesn’t have a restroom available to customers inside the store. Dillard was made aware of the requirement to have a restroom after he opened the business in 2019, he said.

However, only operating with a drive-thru actually benefited the store during the coronavirus pandemic because they were able to remain open for the most part.

During 2020, the restaurant had one of its best years yet.

The plaza of the restaurant is located behind several fast food restaurants and franchises. Dillard said the wall of franchises does hurt his business from getting the traffic from Interstate 75, but he has a loyal customer base.

“Byron has really embraced us,” he said. “They all come by and partake in our cheesesteaks and funnel cakes.”

DuShaun said they have relationships with the customers, especially with the ones who are from northern states.

“We get so many people that are from back home or back East, as far as like Boston, and they’re like this feels closest to home I’ve been in a long time, and it creates a family atmosphere,” he said.

Dillard said their cheesesteaks are popular with people from the north because they are authentic, but sometimes he has to convince Georgians to give them a try. After they do, they keep coming back for more, he said.

“They really love the food, and they enjoy our excellent customer service. So, they come back and back, and they’re telling friends and before you know it, the whole family’s here,” Dillard said with a laugh.

This story was originally published September 18, 2023 at 12:15 PM.