Happy’s Irish Pub downtown celebrates the opening of its new, expanded patio tonight, just in time for Saturday’s Spanish Town Mardi Gras parade. Though the ongoing expansion of the pub itself won’t be complete for several more weeks, owner Brandon Landry says he wanted make sure the expanded patio would be ready for what is one of downtown’s biggest days of the year.
“We’re excited,” says Landry of the expanded patio, which will offer 20 new draft beer taps. “It’s going to be very nice.”
Happy’s announced plans for the 2,500-square-foot expansion of its Third Street pub last fall, after deciding not to pursue the development of a scaled-down Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar concept restaurant, called Walk-On’s Halfcourt, which would have gone into the space. Happy’s and Walk-On’s are both owned by Walk-On’s Enterprises, co-founded by Landry. Landry says he hasn’t abandoned the Halfcourt concept for downtown but that he hasn’t found the right space for it yet.
Meanwhile, Landry has his eye out for a new Happy’s location in the Baton Rouge market. Late last month, Happy’s closed its pub at 11445 Coursey Blvd. after several years in operation. Landry says the bar’s lease was up “and it was time to go.” He adds that since closing the nearby Walk-On’s on Coursey early last year, it no longer made sense to operate the Happy’s in that same area.
Happy’s still has three locations, one each in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Lafayette. Landry says he has no plans to grow the Happy’s chain through franchising, as he is with Walk-On’s, but that the restaurants are profitable.
“We think there are still opportunities if we can find the right spot,” he says. —Stephanie Riegel
