Inside The Meal That Led To Patriots Drafting Will Campbell

Anthony Piazza isn't a New England Patriots fan (he prefers the alumni of LSU, wherever that may take them), but knew he had to step up his game when a large group of Patriots coaches arrived at his restaurant last offseason.

They were there to meet with LSU left tackle Will Campbell.

Fast forward to February 2026, and it's known that Campbell was the eventual pick by New England at the top of the first round. He started every game that he was healthy for, and is now set to start his first-career Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks this weekend.

For Piazza, he take pride that the rookie loves his restaurant -- and still talks about it more than 2,000 miles away in California.

"It's the restaurant business, it's a lot of work, and so I have a great team of really good managers and great staff that buy into our culture what we're trying to do," Piazza, the owner of Phil's Oyster Bar & Seafood Restaurant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said to Patriots on SI.

"It means a lot. We got a lot of pride in what we do."

Phil's Oyster Bar & Seafood Restaurant is one of New England Patriots offensive tackle Will Campbell's favorite restaurants. | Contributed by Anthony Piazza

Piazza's relationship with Campbell formed over plenty of visits to Phil's. After New England's final visit to LSU, Campbell called Piazza. He wanted to know if they could accommodate a meeting that would eventually change the Patriots' offensive line.

Obviously, they could.

So off into the restaurant's private room they went.

"He introduced me to all of them, and they were great," Piazza said. "They had about an hour, hour-and-a-half meeting. They were great."

Campbell spoke about it to reporters this week, and it was clear he remembered his meeting fondly.

The Story Behind The Patriots' Final Meal With Campbell

“I knew what was at stake and they had eight or nine people there,” Campbell said. “It was great. We had a good workout. I took them to my favorite spot in Baton Rouge to eat. They all loved it."

That was the last of what Campbell estimated was four meetings he had with Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and company. One of the first ones in January ended in a 4.5 hour barbecue meal.

The on-campus one at LSU made headlines for Vrabel strapping on a pad to block the draft prospect in a drill. This time, instead of barbecue, Campbell decided to give them some southern cooking.

"It’s got all the old LSU jerseys," he said. "They’ve got char-grilled oysters, seafood. They’ve got everything. If you’re down there, you need to go."

When told about Campbell's comments, Piazza was proud to hear his place's menu get read off to the world.

Will Campbell's LSU "66" uniform hangs on the walls at Phil's Oyster Bar & Seafood Restaurant. | Contributed by Anthony Piazza

"My brother convinced me to do it," said Piazza, who took over ownership of Phil's from his late father Gus back in 2016. "So in 2016, we opened at a new location in a little bit better area of town. ... We've been fortunate that most people have recommended that people come try us out, and so that's kind of how the relationship starts. So our relationship with LSU is really big for our business."

Earlier in the season, when Campbell was in Baton Rouge when he had some time off, he made the trek to Phil's. When he was there, he sent Vrabel a picture of the menu. The Coach of the Year candidate responded that he can't wait to go back -- "it was really cool to see," Piazza recalled.

Now Campbell is slated to start in the Super Bowl. Back in Louisiana, Piazza will be watching from the comfort of his own home.

He doesn't plan to go into work during the game, as they started to close Phil's on Sundays this year. Instead, he'll be rooting for the Patriots -- who have plenty of LSU alums on the roster (Campbell, K'Lavon Chaisson, Kayshon Boutte, Bradyn Swinson, Jaquelin Roy) -- from a couch.

"We got a group of guys that normally get together for big events and watch them, so that that's what we're gonna do at somebody's house," Piazza said. "Let's go Patriots."

And with plenty of LSU uniforms adorning the walls, are there plans to add a Campbell Patriots jersey in the near future?

"We make room for things that mean a lot," he said. "We would 100% put that up."

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