USA, LA: Crying Eagle Brewing Company holds groundbreaking ceremony in Lake Charles

Something new is brewing on the Lake Charles Lakefront. An official groundbreaking took place on Thursday, January 11, at 901 Lakeshore Drive for Crying Eagle Brewing Company – Lakefront’s new restaurant and microbrewery. This will be a second location for Crying Eagle, representing a $12 million investment for the region.

The company’s founder and President, Eric Avery, was joined by public officials, his development team, employees, family and community leaders to celebrate the beginning of construction of this new destination attraction on the scenic lakefront.

“We are incredibly excited to mark the beginning of construction,” says Avery. “We first announced this project four years ago, never imagining it would take this long to get to this milestone, but we also could not have imagined the challenges we would face – and overcome—during that time. This groundbreaking is more than just a ceremony to celebrate the start of a construction project. It’s a testament of the and resilience of the Southwest Louisiana community. We are so proud to be a part of it and to begin this exciting new chapter in our city’s history.”

Avery gave special thanks to Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter and the city’s administrative team for working with them to make the project possible. He also expressed his gratitude to the Southwest Louisiana legislative delegation for the successful passage of Senate Bill 450, which removed the obstacle of transferring finished product between breweries of the same ownership, making a second location possible for Crying Eagle.

Avery says the Lakefront location will incorporate all the features their fans love most about Crying Eagle, along with some new, unique features:

Over 12,000 square feet of dining and entertainment space across two floors

Full-service restaurant with incredible lakefront views

Seafood-inspired menu

Microbrewery delivering a unique selection of lager-focused beer offerings

Full bar service for wine, spirits, cocktails

Waterfront to-go ordering station

Indoor & outdoor entertainment venues

Randy Goodloe, AIA, APAC, is the architect for the project and PERC Development is the contractor.

The original Crying Eagle – University opened in 2016 near McNeese State University and has become a tourism staple in Southwest Louisiana, welcoming over 200,000 visitors annually and offering unique craft beers, award winning cocktails, elevated pub food, entertainment and brewery tours.

06 February, 2024