Around Town

Around Town: Happy‘s takes over Mainstreet Bar & Grill

by Leslie Turk

Baton Rouge-based Irish pub and its scantily-clad waitresses moving into River Ranch space.

[Editor‘s Note: This story has been updated with new information from Happy‘s, including a recent name change for the corporate entity that owns it.]

Happy‘s Irish Pub has taken over the space at 1315 Camellia Blvd. that was most recently occupied by local restaurateur Nidal Balbeisi‘s Mainstreet Bar & Grill. Mainstreet Bar & Grill, which opened last year, has shut down and is moving Downtown, Balbeisi tells ABiz. Happy‘s will begin renovating the space in early July and plans to open its first Lafayette Happy‘s location in the fall.

Photo by Kari Walker

Mainstreet Bar & Grill on Camellia Boulevard in River Ranch has shut down, and Happy‘s Irish Pub is moving in.

The Baton Rouge-based pub specializes in a variety of craft beers (more than 100 on tap) and also offers fine whiskeys, scotches and bourbons - all served by scantily-clad waitresses supporting the motto that "Happy‘s Girls Make Happy Boys."

Happy‘s is part of Walk-On‘s Enterprises (formerly Last In Concepts), which also owns Walk-On‘s, Walk-On‘s Catering and the Rampart Room, according to its website. Happy‘s has locations on Third Street and Coursey Boulevard in Baton Rouge and on Poydras Street in New Orleans.

Happy‘s co-founder Brandon Landry and fellow LSU basketball walk-on Jack Warner founded Walk-On‘s more than a decade ago and expanded the company to include Happy‘s, Walk-On‘s Catering, The Roux House and Schlittz & Giggles, but the partnership was restructured in January when New Orleans businessman Rick Farrell bought into the company, according to Baton Rouge Business Report.

In an early February story titled "The big split," the Baton Rouge-based biz pub reported:

In late January, the deal was finalized. Though financial terms were not disclosed, Farrell and Landry are now equal partners in Last In Concepts [the company apparently changed its name to Walk-On‘s Enterprises since this story was published], which owns Walk-On‘s, with its four locations; Happy‘s Irish Pub, which has three locations; and Walk-On‘s Catering. Warner is sole owner of The Roux House, a music venue downtown, and Schlittz & Giggles, a pizza restaurant chain with two Baton Rouge outlets. Warner will also retain a minority interest in Last In Concepts.

Read more on the split and new partnership here.