George’s restaurants have a new owner but with a familiar name

Both George’s restaurant locations—one on George O’Neal Lane and the other on Highland Road—are under new ownership.

The new owner, Jeff Bourgeois, is the son of the restaurants’ previous owner, Rodney Bourgeois, who died about three years ago.

“I’ve worked here since 1985,” Bourgeois says.

The ownership transfer, which took place in the past year, will not affect the restaurant in any significant way, he adds.

“George’s is an established restaurant and we just want to carry on that tradition,” he says.

George’s was won Best of 225 awards in 2009, 2010 and 2015 for best po-boys and burgers. According to George’s website, it also won ESPN’s Taste of the Town award in 2013.

A third location, under the Perkins Road overpass, closed in 2020 and the property was  bought last year by Benjamin Stalter, a partner with Maestri-Murrell Commercial Real Estate. It soon reopened as Zee Zee’s.

This story originally appeared in an Aug. 18 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.