Pelican to Mars bar in Mid City aims for mid-spring opening

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.

“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.

“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.