As of last week, Jefferson St. has a few new faces. Gus Rezende and B.J. Crist have taken over ownership of the street's eponymous Jefferson Street Pub.
Crist is a 2005 graduate of UL, and Rezende is a native Brazilian and a 2004 marketing graduate of Georgia Southwestern State. They have both proved to be very driven young businessmen in Lafayette, having opening Dix "Almost Famous" Daiquiris off Kaliste Saloom Road and Tropical Smoothie Cafe in the Oil Center to much success.
"We're excited to be downtown," says Rezende.
Jefferson Street Pub used to be a bar called The Bank, so named because the location was, in fact, originally built as a bank. The old vault is normally used as liquor storage and is prominent when you walk into the bar. The location is comfortably divided into two sides, one that is smaller and more intimate and the other which has a wide, airy and open space.
While change may be coming down the pike for the location, it is assured the best will be kept. Currently it serves food, and the hours, under Crist and Rezende's watch, remain the same.
Says Cathy Webre, executive director of Lafayette's Downtown Development Authority, "For many years now, Jefferson Street Pub has been a mainstay in Lafayette’s social scene. We are very pleased to see new ownership retain this unique venue and infuse it with new energy for the future."
Look for a longer article about the Pub under the tutelage of Crist and Rezende in the Dec. issue of ABiz, out on newsstands Nov. 23.
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