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Food news: Fuzzy’s closing; former Louie’s Cafe gets new tenant and more around Baton Rouge

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop closing after 10 years

Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, located at Lee and Burbank drives, announced Friday it is closing after 10 years in business.

The local franchise of the Texas-based chain posted about the closure on its Facebook, thanking the Baton Rouge community for its support over the past decade. An employee added in the comments section of the Facebook post that Friday, June 18, was its last official day of business.

Fuzzy’s features inexpensive Tex-Mex dishes, including ready-made breakfast burritos and a children’s menu. The chain, which was founded in 2003, has more than 100 locations across the U.S.


Joe’s Grill to open in old Louie’s Cafe building

A restaurant called Joe’s Grill has moved into the old Louie’s space on West State Street near LSU.

Owner Lekiedra Coleman plans to open the bar and grill by the end of June, after she’s secured approval from the Louisiana Department of Health.

The full-service restaurant—named after Coleman’s son, who was murdered earlier this year—will serve typical bar and grill fare, including burgers, chicken wings and fried seafood.

“My son used to love to cook, and he loved hamburgers,” says Coleman, who signed a lease on the 2,000-square-foot building in April.

Joe’s Grill will also feature a full-service bar and five TVs, Coleman says, with Monday karaoke nights and Taco Tuesdays planned.

Most recently, the space belonged to Krab Queenz Seafood, a quick-service boiled seafood spot that relocated to Corporate Boulevard a few months ago. Prior to that, it housed State Bar & Grub, which closed in 2017 after two years of business.

More notably, the building was the longtime home of the 80-year-old Louie’s Cafe, which moved into a larger space down the street in 2014.


Baton Rouge riverboat casino revenues up 242% from prior May

With pandemic-era regulations lifted, Baton Rouge’s three riverboat casinos saw revenues increase approximately 242% in May compared to the year prior.

Collectively, L’Auberge Baton Rouge, Hollywood Casino and the Belle of Baton Rouge raked in nearly $25.5 million last month, according to the latest report from the Louisiana Gaming Control Board. That’s down 3.4% from April, but more than triple the $7.5 million the casinos received in May 2020.

Seeing the largest gains was L’Auberge, which brought in $18.2 million last month—a 272% increase from last year. The casino’s May 2021 revenues were some 0.9% above those in April.

Hollywood Casino, which is in the process of a major property expansion and renovation—including a restaurant from Shaquille O’Neal—collected $5.7 million, up 193% from last year’s take of nearly $2 million but down 12.7% from April’s revenues.

Meanwhile, the Belle of Baton Rouge received just $1.6 million in May, a 159% improvement from the previous year but down 12.7% from the month before.

Statewide, riverboat casinos collected some $168 million in revenue for May, a roughly 180% increase from May 2020, but a 4.4% decrease from April.

See the complete report.


These stories originally appeared in Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.