VooDoo BBQ begins expansion into Florida

Louisiana-based VooDoo BBQ & Grill is pushing forward with ambitions to become a national brand by expanding into Florida, The Times-Picayune reports. The company, which is headquartered in Prairieville and opened its first restaurant in New Orleans a decade ago, operates 11 locations in Louisiana—including four in the Capital Region—as well as stores in Greenville, S.C., and Austin, Texas. The barbecue purveyor announced this week that it has started construction on its first Florida store, in Pembroke Pines near Fort Lauderdale. It plans next year to add two more stores in Fort Lauderdale and one in Kendall, south of Miami. The chain hopes to open 26 stores in Florida over the next 10 years. To finance the expansion, company officials say they’re taking advantage of a federal program that lets foreign investors support companies providing jobs in the United States in exchange for immigrant visas for the investors and their families.