{"id":6782,"date":"2017-10-05T07:00:11","date_gmt":"2017-10-05T12:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/?p=6782"},"modified":"2017-10-04T13:00:44","modified_gmt":"2017-10-04T18:00:44","slug":"after-hours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/10\/05\/after-hours\/","title":{"rendered":"After Hours"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lake Charles\u2019 Unique Economy Makes 24-Hour Service Attractive For Many Local Businesses<\/em><\/p>\n

By Brad Goins<\/em><\/p>\n

Lake Charles \u2014 and its nearby metropolitan areas \u2014 is in a transitional stage in which some people still think of it as a small town and some think of it as something bigger.<\/p>\n

If you still think of it as a small town, you may be surprised to learn just how many small local businesses operate 24 hours a day here.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, these businesses aren\u2019t the stereotypical late night dives you may have seen portrayed in Edward Hopper\u2019s famous painting Night Hawks or in numerous film noirs \u2014 hash houses where the stranger who slouches in, slumps down over the bar and orders a cup of coffee is just as likely to be a trouble maker as a jolly old soul.<\/p>\n

No \u2014 small businesses in the L.C. metro area are open at 3 am because business at 3 am is good. To quote Jill of KD\u2019s Diner, \u201cIt\u2019s crazy, the amount of customers who are out at that time.\u201d<\/p>\n

How is one to account for this fantastic state of affairs? One does so by explaining that there\u2019s nothing fantastic about it, and that, in fact, it makes perfect sense.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Chris Culotte of My Place American Pub<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

There\u2019s a story behind the open-all-night story, and that\u2019s the story of Lake Charles\u2019 multi-pronged economy. We hear over and over that the L.C. economy is built on several key foundations: among them tourism (and especially gaming) and the massive petrochemical complex.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s that unusual economic structure that creates the small 24-hour business. Employees of many bars and restaurants leave work at 2 am because that\u2019s when their places of employment close. Shifts for many plant workers also end at 2 am. There\u2019s even a small army of local nurses who end their work day at 2 in the AM.<\/p>\n

This crowd of workers is known as \u201cthe service industry\u201d by those who are themselves employees in the tourism, entertainment and service businesses.<\/p>\n

And many of these people are just as likely as others to want to wind down in a public, communal place after they finish their work day.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir 2 am is our 5 pm,\u201d says co-owner Chris Culotta of My Place American Pub, which never closes. \u201cThey\u2019re just looking to unwind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overall, says Culotta, even in the wee hours of the morning, \u201cIt\u2019s pretty relaxed\u201d in the bar.<\/p>\n

Michelle Casteel, who works the overnight shift at the 24-hour Linda\u2019s Lounge, also describes an environment that\u2019s relaxed \u2014 primarily because of the attributes of the service industry clientele. \u201cThey\u2019re friendly; they\u2019re easy to wait on \u2014 know what they want; they\u2019re good tippers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because many of these people are themselves experienced in restaurant and bar work, they understand the stresses any server is under and don\u2019t make unreasonable demands. They know better than to fine-tune an already complicated order when a place is busy. They know that it\u2019s not cool to expect orders to appear in two minutes when every seat in the house is taken.<\/p>\n

Still, once in a while, some drifter must occasionally wander in at 3 or 4, looking for a place where he can rant or rave. Culotta keeps the atmosphere of My Place consistently mellow by having a stringent zero tolerance policy and enforcing it. \u201cIf you start trouble,\u201d he says, \u201cyou\u2019re out for life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like other all-night places, Linda\u2019s Lounge offers perks to employees in the service industry. As many other places do, Linda\u2019s features a service industries night. The bar also provides these clients with code words that entitle them to drink specials. The code words change, just as they do in spy movies \u2014 \u201cWe switch it up,\u201d says Casteel.<\/p>\n

A drink especially favored by the late night crew at Linda\u2019s is the bar\u2019s colorful red, white and blue Bomb Pop. It\u2019s a potent drink that\u2019s usually served with two straws. \u201cIt\u2019s very sweet,\u201d says Casteel. \u201cIt\u2019s good. One\u2019s not enough and two\u2019s too many.\u201d<\/p>\n

Location<\/b><\/p>\n

If the around-the-clock bar is such a good business model, why don\u2019t more bars expand their hours? Well, the model might not be a good one for all bars. One key issue is this: is the bar in question located near the places where service industry workers are employed?<\/p>\n

Culotta reckons My Place sees a lot of success because of its location. \u201cWe\u2019re closer to the casinos,\u201d he says. And they\u2019re not too far from most of the plants. \u201cAnybody [in a similar location] could really do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just a few blocks east on Prien Lake Road, the 24-hour Cajun Geaux\u2019s proves his point. Within feet of these two bars are two 24-hour restaurants: KD\u2019s Diner and Pitt Grill, the latter of which is open around the clock Tuesday through Saturday. And the Pitt Grill in Sulphur is open 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays.<\/p>\n

Demands Of The Job<\/b><\/p>\n

Culotta became co-owner of My Place four years ago, when it was already a 24-hour venue. When the full implications of his decision hit home, he wondered, \u201cWhat did I get myself into?\u201d<\/p>\n

Four years later, he still says, \u201cIt takes a special breed to run [a 24-hour business].\u201d Just for starters, no bar-owner, no matter how hard-working he may be, can work 24 hours a day. As a result, says Culotta, \u201cYou have to make sure your staff is one you can trust.\u201d That\u2019s a tough task even in a bar or restaurant with much shorter hours.<\/p>\n

As owner, says Culotta, \u201cYou\u2019re on call 24 hours.\u201d Even if he gets called to the bar for a 3 am emergency, he still has to show up for his regular job at 8 am to ensure the paperwork gets done and the bar gets stocked.<\/p>\n

Casteel concurs that the 24-hour business is a tough one. \u201cIt\u2019s quite a challenge,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

One problem that\u2019s high on her list: \u201cthere\u2019s no down time.\u201d That means, for one thing, there\u2019s never any time for the one thing that keeps a bar or any other human creation in good condition: maintenance. Maintenance can\u2019t be done when clients are in the bar, and they\u2019re always in Linda\u2019s Lounge.<\/p>\n

During the Lake Area\u2019s long hot period, air conditioning never gets down time for maintenance or even to let the motor cool off for a while. During the long, hot months \u201cyou\u2019ll never get it to 72 in here,\u201d says Casteel. One reason that\u2019s important is that one of the trademarks of Linda\u2019s Lounge is its practice of serving beers from tubs filled with ice.<\/p>\n

Linda\u2019s closes on Sunday, as local ordinances prohibit the public serving of alcohol on Sundays. That gap in the 24-hour schedule is by default the bar\u2019s only time for maintenance. Casteel recalls a recent Sunday night spent ripping up the carpet and sanding the floor. The work started at midnight on Sunday and went straight through until the bar reopened for business. The crew was exhausted after working straight through the job. But the bar was able to open on time.<\/p>\n

\u2018People Can Be Loud\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n

Colin Ramsey already had a good deal of experience working in bars and restaurants in Los Angeles before he came to Lake Charles in 2007. He says the graveyard shift creates \u201ca much different environment\u201d in a restaurant than in a bar. In a bar, he says, \u201cif somebody gets unruly, you just take \u2018em out.\u201d Alternatively, the bartender can simply ignore the offender.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Colin Ramsey of KD\u2019s<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Things might not be so simple at an overnight restaurant like KD\u2019s, where Ramsey has been overnight manager for three years. He says if a patron \u201csnaps at\u201d him, he can exercise the right to refuse service. But if the patron is clever enough to contact the manager, he may wind up getting served anyway.<\/p>\n

Ramsey also tries to be realistic about the nature of the late-night clientele at KD\u2019s. He knows that some who come in will have been drinking for a while. KD\u2019s makes the concessions it can. Ramsey says it\u2019s a \u201cparty restaurant … They can come to KD\u2019s and be loud. We let people get away with a lot more than other restaurants.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ramsey says the restaurant will, on occasion, have the walk-in who may not have been drinking at all, but who wants to act out at a time when traffic is sparse. \u201cIt has definitely happened,\u201d he says. But it\u2019s not a common occurrence. In fact, he says the restaurant could, if it wanted, have a sign for the number of days since a customer created a scene, just as some businesses have signs about the number of days that have passed since a workplace accident.<\/p>\n

Ramsey acknowledges the large number of customers who work for casinos and plants, and agrees that small businesses are unlikely to be open overnight if they\u2019re located far away from these businesses. What seems different from a bar is that Ramsey is just as focused on the clients who are on their way to the plants as those who are getting off. Some such workers will start coming in as early as 4 am to get breakfast before work. He also notes a wave of customers that get off casino work at 4 am \u2014 a group he especially likes because they haven\u2019t been drinking.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know which people are going to come in and when,\u201d he says. Places like KD\u2019s work hand in hand with local all-night bars. In fact, he says, KD\u2019s follows the schedules and specials of local bars to predict just when certain groups will make it to KD\u2019s on certain nights.<\/p>\n

No one\u2019s ever accused KD\u2019s of being too roomy. Ramsey says the venue has 10 tables and 9 bar slots. But he says that on some late nights \u2014 for instance, Sundays \u2014 it is quite easy to get an empty table.<\/p>\n

Like others in this game, Ramsey seems almost enamored of his job. \u201cI really like it here,\u201d he says. \u201cOverall, it\u2019s much better than it\u2019s worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, I suspect there\u2019s a relation between the job and the worker\u2019s personality. \u201cI\u2019m a night person. It\u2019s a night owl [thing]. I function at a higher rate at night.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same things can probably be said of a good number of KD\u2019s customers. At any rate, Ramsey thinks the venue offers a solid option for those who get hungry before other places are open. \u201cIt\u2019s solid food for a good price and you get it quick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018No Juicy Details\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n

One type of 24-hour business you might not have thought of is the local fitness club. At least four in the L.C. metro area offer services around the clock.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Cheyanna Glyenn of Christus Louisiana Athletic Club<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

One key difference between the fitness clubs and the other businesses we\u2019ve looked at is that fitness clubs are not staffed all night long. After a certain hour, club members, or those who have passes, swipe a card or type in a code to get in the building.<\/p>\n

The targeted clientele is much as it would be for an all-night restaurant. Christus Louisiana Athletic Club manager Cheyanna Glyenn says the club sees \u201ca lot of people from plants who work lots of different shifts.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a little hard for me to imagine that anyone would go into a fitness club at 3 in the morning for the purpose of creating mayhem. But of course, anyone can run into unexpected trouble when he\u2019s doing strenuous exercise.<\/p>\n

Like most clubs, Christus Louisiana keeps security cameras running. Another 24-hour operation, Anytime Fitness, supplements its cameras with a number of panic buttons placed throughout the building. The club also gives its patrons the option of wearing security necklaces. These necklaces are effective all the way to the road outside the building, and patrons can take them home overnight if they choose.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Manager Bruce Broussard also notes that police officers are among the overnight patrons.<\/p>\n

These security measures seem to keep fitness clubs quiet \u2014 staff or no staff. \u201cWe never have any issues or problems,\u201d says Broussard. \u201cNothing weird has ever happened.\u201d Glyenn echoes the sentiment; there are, she says, \u201cno juicy details.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aside from the lack of on-site staff, overnight clubs seem to operate in the late night in much the same way as they operate during the daylight. At Anytime Fitness, late-night patrons have access not just to water, showers and fresh towels, but also to the very same vending options they have during the day.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s Always Been A Thing\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Bruce Broussard of Anytime Fitness<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The unique economy that has developed in the Lake Charles area has kept the 24-hour small business a going concern for some time. When Culotta bought My Place four years ago, he was competing with even more 24-hour-a-day bars, as both Nate\u2019s and Annie\u2019s were serving around the clock at that time. \u201cIt\u2019s always been a thing,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

People involved in the 24-hour business seem to be attracted to it for some reason; perhaps they just have the right personality for it. Culotta says he\u2019ll stick with it \u201cas long as my body will allow me.\u201d<\/p>\n

And as much as all of these around-the-clock venues are geared to the service industry, they\u2019re by no means a members-only club. \u201cWe\u2019re basically just here for everybody,\u201d says My Place\u2019s Culotta. Similar universal sentiments are uttered by KD\u2019s Ramsey, who says to the public in general: \u201cCome in and have a good time. That\u2019s what we\u2019re here for.\u201d<\/p>\n

These are comforting words not just for late-night workers, but also for insomniacs, night owls or folks who just like to take their relaxation and refreshment after hours.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lake Charles\u2019 Unique Economy Makes 24-Hour Service Attractive For Many Local Businesses By Brad Goins Lake Charles \u2014 and its nearby metropolitan areas \u2014 is in a transitional stage in which some people still think of it as a small town and some think of it as something bigger. If you still think of it [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6788,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1582,4,1581,723,1580],"yoast_head":"\nAfter Hours - BestOfSwla<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/10\/05\/after-hours\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"After Hours - BestOfSwla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lake Charles\u2019 Unique Economy Makes 24-Hour Service Attractive For Many Local Businesses By Brad Goins Lake Charles \u2014 and its nearby metropolitan areas \u2014 is in a transitional stage in which some people still think of it as a small town and some think of it as something bigger. If you still think of it [&hellip\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/10\/05\/after-hours\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"BestOfSwla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bestofswla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-10-05T12:00:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-10-04T18:00:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/afterhoursfeatured.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"704\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"376\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brad Goins\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Brad Goins\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/10\/05\/after-hours\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/10\/05\/after-hours\/\",\"name\":\"After Hours - BestOfSwla\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-05T12:00:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-10-04T18:00:44+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#\/schema\/person\/95a5d9d1f179dc3e9458d6eb389ade29\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/10\/05\/after-hours\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/10\/05\/after-hours\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/10\/05\/after-hours\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"After Hours\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/\",\"name\":\"BestOfSwla\",\"description\":\"Powered by Lagniappe Magazine\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#\/schema\/person\/95a5d9d1f179dc3e9458d6eb389ade29\",\"name\":\"Brad Goins\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/127d8f200ddd121b19e50619fddcb3cf?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/127d8f200ddd121b19e50619fddcb3cf?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Brad Goins\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/author\/bradgoins\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"After Hours - BestOfSwla","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/10\/05\/after-hours\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"After Hours - BestOfSwla","og_description":"Lake Charles\u2019 Unique Economy Makes 24-Hour Service Attractive For Many Local Businesses By Brad Goins Lake Charles \u2014 and its nearby metropolitan areas \u2014 is in a transitional stage in which some people still think of it as a small town and some think of it as something bigger. If you still think of it [&hellip","og_url":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/10\/05\/after-hours\/","og_site_name":"BestOfSwla","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bestofswla","article_published_time":"2017-10-05T12:00:11+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-10-04T18:00:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":704,"height":376,"url":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/afterhoursfeatured.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Brad Goins","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Brad Goins","Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/10\/05\/after-hours\/","url":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/10\/05\/after-hours\/","name":"After Hours - BestOfSwla","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2017-10-05T12:00:11+00:00","dateModified":"2017-10-04T18:00:44+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#\/schema\/person\/95a5d9d1f179dc3e9458d6eb389ade29"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/10\/05\/after-hours\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/10\/05\/after-hours\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/10\/05\/after-hours\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"After Hours"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/","name":"BestOfSwla","description":"Powered by Lagniappe Magazine","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#\/schema\/person\/95a5d9d1f179dc3e9458d6eb389ade29","name":"Brad Goins","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/127d8f200ddd121b19e50619fddcb3cf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/127d8f200ddd121b19e50619fddcb3cf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Brad Goins"},"url":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/author\/bradgoins\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6782"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6782"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6782\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}