Baton Rouge entrepreneur Jordan Piazza is launching a catering company he’s calling The Caterie, a nod to the popular restaurant and live music venue destroyed in a 2010 New Year’s Day fire.
“Although it might not have the same purpose, we’re hoping that we can resurrect the name and really honor its tradition and the love that people have for the brand,” he says.
Piazza has created a parent company called Rebirth Brands that will focus on revitalizing older business names. He is an owner of Uncle Earl’s Bar, which was also a familiar name when his group bought it in 2019 and reimagined the former dive bar as a destination for young professionals.
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He says the need to support events at the bar on Perkins Road inspired the decision to launch the caterer next door, though it will serve a much larger clientele, and he hopes to open the new business by fall.
“I love the idea of bringing back the old, rich history of the Baton Rouge hospitality industry,” Piazza says.
He got his first taste of refreshing a familiar brand in 2016 when he and his brother Anthony opened Phil’s Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant, a tribute to the namesake Government Street institution their late father, Gus, ran for more than 30 years. He says a well-known name can help a new business get noticed in the crowded service sector.
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Chelsea’s, Murphy’s and Zee Zee Gardens also are among the well-known Baton Rouge brands that recently have made a comeback in a different form.
“Why try and introduce a brand-new concept to people when you have one that people already know?” Piazza says.
This story originally appeared in a June 12 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.