When CIty Group Hospitality managing partner Stephen Hightower saw the opportunity to acquire Beausoleil Restaurant and Bar, he jumped on it. Now he’s looking toward the future with Beausoleil’s already established restaurant brand, 225 reports.
City Group bought the business from the Juban Restaurant Group at the beginning of August, appointing the restaurant’s operator and former part-owner Jeff Conaway as City Group’s director of culinary operations.
“We had always respected what Beausoleil was, not only as a competitor, but as a great restaurant in Baton Rouge,” Hightower says. “It’s not only a great restaurant, but Jeff Conaway is a great person, manager and operator in the restaurant business in this city.”
Since the announcement, the restaurant—which had already temporarily shuttered because of the impacts of COVID-19—has remained closed for renovations. Beausoleil’s patio area will be expanded to include more outdoor seating. The restaurant layout will make space for a raw bar catering to oyster lovers, and the inside will be repainted to brighten up the space.
There will be menu changes, too, although Hightower assures longtime diners their traditional favorites are there to stay. The menu now will lean more seafood-centric, with more raw oyster options, and there will be a greater focus on wines and wine pairings.
“This restaurant was one that was already established,” he says, “and we hope to put our touches on it and carry that torch into the future.”
Beausoleil hopes to open its doors again in mid-September.
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