Crying Eagle breaks ground on $12 million lakefront investment – American Press

Crying Eagle Brewing Company broke ground on its second location Thursday afternoon.

A $12 million investment, Crying Eagle Lakefront will be a family-friendly, full-service restaurant and craft brewery with 12,000 square feet of dining and entertainment space and stunning lakefront views.

The new location is one of the mainstays of Lake Charles’ lakefront development and was first announced in October 2019 as a parallel development to the former Harrah’s parking lot and the long-awaited renovation of Port Wonder.

Lake Charles Mayor Nick Hunter said the groundbreaking ceremony was a great opportunity for the community as these major lakefront developments face delays due to the pandemic, increased construction costs and local weather events in 2020 and 2021. He said it is a celebration of resilience and perseverance.

Eric Avery, president of Crying Eagle Brewing Company, echoed Hunter’s sentiments, calling the milestone “momentous.”

“This day perfectly represents a day that will long be remembered as one that helped shape the future of Lake Charles. Four years ago, many of us stood here…many… It took a lot of human effort and time to ultimately bring us to where we are today.”

This location is ideal for attracting tourism to Lake Charles due to its proximity to the lake and Interstate 10. Avery believes this will be beneficial to the cultural and economic health of the city.

“With Crying Eagle Lake rising above our shores, we are confident that our work with Port Wonder and other future developments will usher in an era of change filled with optimism, ambition and hope for a brighter future. doing.”

Mr Hunter said it was “very appropriate and exciting” that the first lakeside restaurant would be locally owned and would be “unrivaled”.

The ceremony marked a full-circle moment for Avery. He and his family’s original vision for the Eagle included a lakefront space. However, that placement was not a realistic option when the restaurant was being conceptualized.

“At the time, I was much younger and had unproven concepts and ideas…but everything is moving in the right direction. Whether it happened then or not, it happened as it was meant to happen.” So today we celebrate a completely different concept than what we originally wanted to create here.”

Crying Eagle Lakefront will be vibrant, attractive and “very different in marketability” from the McNeese Street location. It will provide connections to other facilities built on the lakefront and will feature both indoor and outdoor entertainment facilities and a waterfront to-go ordering station.

To complement the restaurant and lakeside views, guests can choose from a variety of seafood-infused cuisine during their stay. In addition, Crying Eagle Lakefront offers guests a variety of drinks on his menu and unique beer options with an emphasis on lager.

Crying Eagle’s original location on McNeese Street, thanks to the passage of state Sen. Jeremy Stein’s bill SB 450, which would allow microbreweries to move finished beer to another location, in 2022. Beer produced in the area will be able to be transported to stores along the lake. .

The restaurant and microbrewery are scheduled to open in spring 2025.

The original Crying Eagle, located at 1165 E. McNeese St., opened in 2016 and serves more than 20,000 customers annually.