A Bossier City Landmark Is For Sale

A Bossier City landmark is up for sale:  Beam's Restaurant has a "For Sale" sign out front.

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

the waitresses and whether or not it was legit; one of the customers chimed in that Drew Brees was in the restroom while Mike insisted he had just seen Elvis out in the parking lot. You probably had to be there, but it was funny.  The beleaguered waitress stuck with her celeb sighting story.

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.