Two New Restaurants To Open In Greater Baton Rouge This Summer

By Adrian Maties, Associate Editor

In recent months, several restaurants and bars have opened in the Baton Rouge metro area. And more are on their way.

Last week, The Times Picayune reported that Quaker Steak & Lube, a Pennsylvania-based casual dining restaurant, plans to open its first Baton Rouge location this June. The restaurant will lease space in a new, 15,000-square-foot mall, located at 2706 S. Cabelas Parkway, in Gonzales.

Quaker Steak & Lube has about 60 locations in the United States and Canada. It first announced its intention to expand its presence along the Interstate 10 corridor in late 2013. Plans call for the opening of seven new restaurants, in Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, New Orleans and Lafayette.

The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report also announced last week that a new bar will open this summer in the former Louie’s Café building at 209 West State St. Called The State Bar, it will also serve a limited menu of pub food.

Shane Courrege, a local bar owner, teamed up with chef Luis Macedo for the project. They signed a lease for the 2,000-square-foot space last fall, when Louie’s Café announced its plans to relocate to the former Wendy’s building, on Lake Street.

Courrege told the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report that construction at the site resumed a couple of weeks ago, after a delay which occurred during the permitting process. He also said that he expects to open The State Bar within the next two months.

Photo credit: Quaker Steak & Lube