Bud’s Broilers, a longtime New Orleans burger spot, is set to open its first Baton Rouge location near Tigerland within the next two months.
Owner Mel Ziegler says work is currently underway on the space formerly home to Rotolo’s Pizzeria and Dive Bar & Grill on Nicholson Drive. He had initially hoped to open for the start of football season but was delayed by the city’s permitting process.
Ziegler says he will soon begin work on the restaurant’s famous pit—a charcoal pit used to grill much of his no-frills menu.
“We’re actually building a double pit in anticipation of gameday rushes and stuff like that to increase the output,” Ziegler says.
The restaurant will be Ziegler’s first in Baton Rouge. Bud’s Broilers currently has eight locations and a ninth is set to open soon in River Ridge.
The Baton Rouge location will be open late—until 3 or 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, Ziegler says—and he hopes to fit into the market nicely as a burger place that eschews the “gourmet” label.
“I think Baton Rouge could handle two locations,” he says. “So we’re gonna be looking for another one soon.”
—Sam Karlin
