The Avenue Pub in New Orleans went up on the market for sale and now has new owners. The Blue Oak founders Ronnie Evans and Philip Moseley and the owners of Frenchmen Street bar the Rambler, Steve Jeffcoat and Ryan Noland have purchased the bar and will still call it Avenue Pub.
The new owners paid $1.7 million and beat out all the other bids, mainly because they plan to keep it Avenue Pub. The bar will runs similar to how it ran under owner Polly Watts and will also retain the current staff.
Staff are excited because of the great benefits that Blue Oak offers. These include medical and dental and paid time off plus above average pay. Blue Oak also helped hospitality workers during the panedemic by giving free meals away.
Avenue Pub first opened its doors in 1987 and is loved locals. It is known for a 24-hour haven for late shift workers; a cutting-edge beer hub for enthusiasts; and one of the city’s leading pub food destinations. The sale took place this month but Watts will still be on hand to help with the annual Zwanze Day event.
There will be some changes according to the new owners. The food menu will be the biggest change but will stay focused on smoked meat dishes. Meat from Blue Oak smokers will now hit the menu. Dishes will include tater tot poutine, stuffed boudin balls, a fried chicken sandwich, shrimp tacos, and smoked chicken wings, which is one of few items borrowed from the original Blue Oak menu. There will also be more TV’s added making it a perfect Saints game day spot.
