Some Baton Rouge bars made their first Sunday of operation as much about the food they offered as the drinks they poured.
The Radio Bar on Government Street moved its typical Monday barbecue to Sunday—it opened at 2 p.m.—and had quit serving food by 7 p.m., as a steady bar crowd made the first open Sunday busier than a typical Monday or Tuesday.
“But it’s the first night,” notes co-owner Dave Remmetter.
Remmetter says The Radio Bar will likely operate on Sundays from now on, 4 p.m. to midnight, eschewing an earlier opening for the football crowd and sticking to its no-TVs ethos.
This past Sunday was the first that East Baton Rouge Parish bars were able to open under an ordinance that got Metro Council approval two weeks ago and Mayor Kip Holden’s signature last week.
Tom Ange, owner of The Cove on Corporate Boulevard and Port Royal on College Boulevard, says he has “modest goals” for Sunday sales. Nonetheless, Ange says he’ll open both establishments at noon on Sundays—with free jambalaya, and red beans and rice—to cater to NFL and New Orleans Saints fans.
“That’s a no-brainer,” Ange says.
Modest or not, Sunday sales will certainly be beneficial to Ange’s two bars. “That’s 104 days of rent,” he says.
Reversing the loss of one day of business each week was Metro Councilwoman Alison Gary’s intention when she proposed repealing the last of the city-parish’s remaining “blue laws.” Bars may now open 11 a.m. to midnight on Sunday, while retailers can sell alcohol beginning at 6 a.m.
Remmetter says opening his bar an extra day hardly increases operating costs, especially since The Radio Bar can run with a staff of three bartenders at $2.13 per hour each.
“So really, all we’re doing is making profit off of product,” he says.
Duvic’s on Kalurah Street, near the Perkins Road Overpass, opened Sunday at 6 p.m. However, bar manager Jillian Wray says business was brisk, and the establishment now plans to serve brunch every Sunday until 4 p.m.
“So next Sunday we’re going to open at 11 a.m. to midnight,” Wray says.
Downtown on Third Street, Sunday nightlife was unchanged. No bars appeared open outside of establishments that serve food with full menus, like Schlittz & Giggles—which was able to open on Sundays prior to the ordinance change due to its high volume of food sales.
However, downtown bar owners had professed a wait-and-see approach, which may have been affected by a Sunday night production of a low-budget movie on about two blocks of Third Street, where Happy’s Irish Pub is located.
But nearby, Blend Wine Bar and Boudreaux and Thibodeaux’s also stayed shuttered, as did Puncher’s Sports Bar down the street.
