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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Bayou Brewing Launches Expansion Plan

A little bit of New Orleans is creeping into Redmond, Wash., courtesy of Spokane’s own Bayou Brewing Co.

The brewery, restaurant and night club entertainment complex is taking its show on the road, with plans to expand nationwide.

“We have a five-year plan for growth which includes 24 stores,” said Tom Rucker, the Bayou’s chief operating officer.

The second location of the themed restaurant and night club will open in February or March at the Redmond Town Center, Rucker said.

Future sites include Vancouver, British Columbia; Calgary, Alberta; Louisville, Ky.; Portland; and Orange County, Calif.

“We’re looking for 20,000 square feet in highly accessible areas,” Rucker said.

At 14,000 square feet, the Redmond location will be smaller than the 22,000-square-foot Bayou complex at 1003 E. Trent. But, like the Spokane site, it will include a restaurant, night club, lounge and game room.

The popular Spokane entertainment complex opened in February 1997. The Bayou will gross $4 million in sales this year, Rucker said, and is considering becoming publicly traded within two years.

Rucker attributes the Bayou’s success to the variety of entertainment it offers. People can play virtual reality video games, listen to music, drink at the bar, have dinner or stroll through shops.

“This is not a restaurant,” Rucker said. “It’s a destination.”

Adjoining spaces in the complex have been leased by an antique gallery, a coffee roasting company, a “brew your own beer” operation, a fly shop, an event hall and a weekly newspaper.

In future locations, the Bayou will continue its New Orleans theme, with Cajun food and zydeco and blues music, but the menu and style could vary slightly.

“Our menu is designed for this part of the country,” Rucker said. “It’s Cajun Northwest. You don’t see a lot of blackened salmon down south.”

The look also will be slightly different, said Pat Tagliaferro, the Hollywood art director who designed the first Bayou and has been hired to create the second one.

“The big change we’re making visually is we’re putting it in a swamp,” said Tagliaferro, who has been art director for movies such as “My Girl” and “Benny and Joon.”

The Bayou in Spokane has more of a French Quarter feel to it, Tagliaferro said.

“Over there, it’s going to be shacks in a swamp, with little pathways going through,” he said. “The booths will be tucked into little nooks and crannies behind trees in the swamp.”

, DataTimes