A permit was granted Wednesday, Jan. 8, for work to begin turning a former garage and art gallery on Government Street into a pet-friendly Mid City neighborhood bar.
Remi de Matteo, co-owner of the bar Hayride Scandal, says renovations will begin immediately on the space, located next to The Pink Elephant. While the permit estimates some $202,000 worth of work will be done to the space, which will be known as Pelican to Mars, de Matteo estimates the owners are spending a half-million dollars on the new venture. He aims for the bar to open by mid-spring.
The establishment will include a large outside patio, a dog park and a reception area styled like a 1950s-era living room.
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“We wanted to create concepts within Baton Rouge that can rival New Orleans,” says de Matteo, a New Orleans native who settled in Baton Rouge after attending LSU.
When asked if he’s concerned about a possible glut of bars opening on Government Street, de Matteo said he thinks the new businesses will create gravity and bring people into the area.
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“Each of the new businesses have been unique so far,” he says.
Plans for the bar, co-owned by de Matteo and brothers Lance and Scott Paddock, were approved by the Metro Council in March after months of planning.
This story originally appeared in the Jan. 9 edition of Daily Report.