Opening soon: Denver-based gourmet burger chain Smashburger will open its first Baton Rouge restaurant at 7474 Corporate Blvd., Suite 101, at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The restaurant is in a strip center across from Towne Center that also is home to food-related businesses including Serop’s, Fresh Kitchen and Yogurtland. The 2,750-square-foot restaurant includes seating for up to 95 diners; regular hours will be 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. There are more than 315 corporate and franchise Smashburger restaurants spread across 34 U.S. states and seven countries.
Expanding offerings: LSU has increased its total number of graduate certificate programs to 28, following approval Friday by the LSU Board of Supervisors to create four new programs. Graduate certificate programs now will be offered in strategic communication, records and information management, community engagement, applied depositional geosystems and analytics. The certificate programs allow students to get specialized training that can be completed in a shorter time than a typical master’s or Ph.D. program. LSU has more details on the new programs.
Back in the game: Louisiana Strong, a group of Baton Rouge conservatives formed in 2013 to oppose a dedicated tax for the Capital Area Transit System that ultimately was approved by voters in the city, says it has rebranded, upgraded operations and overhauled its digital operations as part of a relaunch. “Louisiana Strong is quietly participating in the 2015 legislative session, which has put lawmakers to the test and questioned their conservative values,” the group says in a news release. Adds executive director Lennie Rhys: “Looking ahead, our main focus will be continuing to educate and empower ordinary citizens to promote constitutional government and sound fiscal policy, while protecting Louisiana values.”
