The restaurant is still open for business as the full parking lot at noon today would attest. I stopped in to visit with Mike and his mom over chicken fried steak.
Beam's has been in business since 1960 and has been a Bossier City institution ever since. It's one of the best places in Shreveport-Bossier to get a hot plate lunch with your choice of two or three vegetables and a dessert of the day for less than $10. The okra and tomatoes can't be beat!
It's what I call a "hometown place" because you almost always see someone you know when you go in. There's the regular coffee and breakfast group every morning as well as the lunch regulars. Mike Beam and his mom are there every time I go in and Mike always comes over to my table to visit.
The restaurant is heavy on LSU memorabilia and Mike is always glad to speculate on LSU's prospects in any given sport. Today we talked about the College World Series (Mike thinks LSU can go all the way!).
The waitstaff is friendly and personable; today we had a laugh over a celebrity sighting by one of
Mrs. Beam told me that she is 80 years old and ready to retire. "When you make it to eighty, you've done pretty good," she said. She wants to travel some and Mike has an Alaskan cruise in mind for them. One can hardly blame them; the restaurant business is a tough road. You have to be there all the time and it's hard to take a real vacation or time off. It's been a labor of love for them both.
I asked Mrs. Beam if the For Sale sign had sparked any interest. "A little," she told me. "We've had a few people interested." But so far nothing is "a done deal."
With its prime location it won't take long before somebody makes a serious offer and Mike and his mom will be on that vacation highway.
After over 50 years in the business I'd say it's time Mrs. Beam gets her cruise!
Be sure you take time to stop in for another hot plate lunch (or two, or three) before this Bossier City institution fades away. Have a cup of coffee or a glass of sweet tea and talk some LSU baseball with Mike. It's a nice way to spend a morning, or an afternoon.
Chicken fried steak and greens? Nothing better!!
ReplyDeleteAs we are a 67yr company, I hate to see any business close their doors.
ReplyDeleteWell, least she did not move her business to China!
I'm reading this article for the very first time and I only found it by trying to research who purchased my father's business that he worked so hard to establish. I would like to inform your readers that Mr. Fred E. beam Sr. has three other children, three grandsons, a granddaughter, and seven great grandchildren. All the siblings grew up working in the family business and should have been given the opportunity to purchase the property if Mrs. Beam needed the money.. My family would have appreciated some respect from them in the from of a correspondence offering us a chance to purchase before they sold. I found out about this on Facebook when a friend posted photos of my fathers building being destroyed. His grandchildren had to see it too! Now his great grandsons will never know what their Grandpa Beam built. Shame on the two of them. Remember there were FOUR CHILDREN born to FRED EBEAM SR that built that building and established the Restuarant and also ran a bar, lounge, and liquor store when it was down the street. Remember in the state of Louisiana only Mrs Beam should be using my fathers money until she dies the that sibling can start his traveling with that money he's getting from the sale.
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