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Rapture is Near - Some Poor Sap Bought Fleur de Lis Pizza for 1.1 Million
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:04 pm
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:04 pm
quote:
The Fleur de Lis pizza building has been sold for $1.1 million to a new owner who plans to bring back the landmark Baton Rouge restaurant with "the same funky vibe."
Big Horn River LLC purchased the property at 5655 Government St. in a deal that was filed Thursday with the East Baton Rouge Clerk of Court's Office. The seller was Fleur de Lis Cocktail Lounge Inc.
Carl Batson of Big Horn River said he is teaming up with an undisclosed restaurant operator to bring back the iconic square Roman pizza pie.
"Our intention is to remodel and improve it a little bit, but keep it as close to the original as possible," he said.
Plans are to reopen Fleur de Lis in late fall.
Batson said he is working with TIEK BYDAY, a Mid City architecture firm that specializes in restoring historic buildings.
Hance Hughes, the principal architect with TIEK BYDAY, has said the goal is to restore the building using state historic tax credits and bring it up to code, while making the restaurant feel like it has always been there.
Fleur de Lis opened in 1946, and its rectangular pies had a loyal following. The restaurant was a throwback — it didn’t accept credit cards, and the menu was limited to pizzas.
The new Fleur de Lis will use the same recipes and keep the same limited menu.
"We're going to stick to the original very successful plan," Batson said. "The restaurant had been there for 80 years."
There will be some improvements. An outdoor patio will be added, and the bathrooms and kitchens will be brought up to code. And the limited menu of beer and wine will be upgraded to give customers a chance to enjoy higher quality drinks with their pizza, he said.
Batson said the plan is to spend about $700,000 to upgrade the restaurant.
The business closed indefinitely over Fourth of July weekend in 2022, and the owners blamed the shutdown on a shortage of staffing. The husband-and-wife team, Pam and Murray Rushing, operated Fleur de Lis; Pam is the granddaughter of original owners Annie Distefano and Joseph Guercio.
The restaurant, furnishings, name and recipes were originally put up for sale in March 2023 with an asking price of $4.5 million. Beau Box took over the listing for the building in September and lowered the asking price to $1.1 million.
GD Advocate paywall......
ETA: This website lists a lot of recent commercial real estate transactions in BR, Lafayette, and New Orleans
https://elifinrealty.com/data-insights/
This post was edited on 6/12/25 at 4:32 pm
31
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:06 pm to Shexter
Glad to hear it’s coming back
I was getting tired of having to drive all the way to past time to get a good pizza
I was getting tired of having to drive all the way to past time to get a good pizza
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:06 pm to Shexter
Literally all they need to do to be successful is keep the restaurant clean, accept cards, be open for consistent hours, and be nice to customers. That’s it. Hopefully, they will do exactly that, and we’ll be able to enjoy their greasy guilty pleasure pizza again.
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:07 pm to Shexter
Oh Lord! This is gonna make Joshrn, and Louisiana lady's day (among others).
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:08 pm to Shexter
DO NOT add more lighting in it. Thinking it was 9:00 p.m., anytime you went in was part of the aesthetic.
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:08 pm to Shexter
quote:
with "the same funky vibe."
crappy pizza and shitty, rude service?
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:10 pm to kingbob
quote:
Literally all they need to do to be successful is keep the restaurant clean, accept cards, be open for consistent hours, and be nice to customers. That’s it.
And lease part of their humongous parking lot to the brewery across the street. Since they actually get customers.
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:12 pm to Shexter
Carl Batson's brother is a realtor with Beau Box, which may explain the price drop. His sister is former EBR Parish Attorney Lea Anne Batson.
ETA Carl "Andy" Batson is the realtor. Apparently he's the one putting up the money. Ed Batson has been involved in running several restaurants/bars so I assume he will be associated with this somehow.
ETA Carl "Andy" Batson is the realtor. Apparently he's the one putting up the money. Ed Batson has been involved in running several restaurants/bars so I assume he will be associated with this somehow.
This post was edited on 6/12/25 at 4:26 pm
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:12 pm to Shexter
That’s not an outrageous price.
A 1+ acre of commercial property on Government probably goes for a good bit
A 1+ acre of commercial property on Government probably goes for a good bit
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:12 pm to Shexter
quote:
Fleur de Lis Pizza for 1.1 Million
Gonna recoup that in 1 month, will be a line down government, going to look like they opened a Chic fila there.
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:15 pm to Shexter
quote:
Fleur de Lis Pizza
I expect downvotes, but this is the most overrated pizza of all time.
It was good. Even very good at times. But people fawn all over it like it’s the best pizza in the world and it just wasn’t.
This post was edited on 6/12/25 at 5:07 pm
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:17 pm to Shexter
quote:Almost $2 million.
Batson said the plan is to spend about $700,000 to upgrade the restaurant.
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:18 pm to Shexter
quote:
Big Horn River LLC
Looks like they're buying up several properties in town
quote:
Los Plebes Mexican Grill
9830 Florida Blvd
Type: Retail
Price: $500,000 ($69.29 / SF)
Buyer: Big Horn River LLC
Elifin’s Notes: Local investor purchases four retail properties on Florida Blvd near the Amazon fulfillment center.
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:18 pm to slidingstop
quote:
crappy pizza and shitty, rude service?
Yep went there 1 time and never set foot back in it.
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:20 pm to Shexter
I grew up next to it in the 1960s and would hear women giggling inside the little shacks outside the restaurant.
I heard later there was a little prostitution ring being run out of the restaurant back then.
I heard later there was a little prostitution ring being run out of the restaurant back then.
This post was edited on 6/12/25 at 4:21 pm
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:20 pm to CocomoLSU
quote:
I expect downvotes, but this is the most overrated pizza of all time. It was good. Even very good at times. But people dawn all over it like it’s the best pizza in the world and it just wasn’t.
Agreed. Wasn’t the dough frozen? It seemed like frozen pizza.
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:21 pm to Shexter
quote:
closed indefinitely over Fourth of July weekend in 2022
It was still open in 2022?? I thought it closed before covid.
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:27 pm to Shexter
quote:
Batson said the plan is to spend about $700,000 to upgrade the restaurant.
Half of that will need to be spent on cleaning that dirty place. I guess he can also spend some of that on a POS system that takes credit cards.
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:27 pm to Shexter
Is there an addendum in the contract stating that the pizza has to be good?
Posted on 6/12/25 at 4:30 pm to Shexter
Now bring back Joe D’s and Giamanco’s.
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