Roundup: Voodoo plans expansion … LSU ends push to license brew

Voodoo spreads out: 2012 could be a big year for Baton Rouge-based VooDoo BBQ & Grill, with out-of-state openings and a new look for its restaurants in the coming months. VooDoo will open its first location outside of Louisiana later this month in Greenville, S.C., in part of an eight-unit expansion that includes sites in Anderson, Charleston, Columbia and Rock Hill, S.C., and in Asheville, N.C. By midyear, VooDoo franchises are also scheduled to open in Florida and Texas. LSU beer plans go flat:  LSU will not proceed with licensing of an LSU branded beer in conjunction with local brewer Tin Roof Brewery, Chancellor Mike Martin announced this week. LSU had originally sought to license a brew called Bandit Blonde Ale through an existing agreement with Collegiate Licensing Company. The license would have permitted Tin Roof—Baton Rouge’s lone brewery, operated by LSU graduates—to produce a beer using LSU marks. “The intent was to create an educational opportunity for students to learn about the beer industry and business modeling, while also seeking new revenue for the university,” says Martin in a prepared release. “Ultimately, we have bigger priorities than to maneuver the complexities of a venture this different and unique, so we have notified all parties involved that this is no longer on our agenda.”