Whoever said you can’t go home again never got a personalized tankard drinking mug made at the Noble Savage Tavern in downtown Shreveport. 

Set to have a grand re-opening in the coming month, new owner Eric Johnson said it was the support of their loyal customers that made this the best decision. Johnson, who has been with the establishment for 12 years, said his first phone call after deciding to take over was to Lee Slack, the tavern’s previous head bartender. The two shared sentiments that re-opening the bar and restaurant had significant personal meaning, and that it had to be done with people who knew the place best.

“We’re like a big family here; we always have been,” Johnson said. “The people who come to work here don’t want to leave.”

“We’ve always been a tight knit group, we work together, play together,” Slack said. “When we’re not here working, we’re at one another’s house or just hanging out.”

It’s that family feeling that kept many of their regular customers so loyal to their business. Slack said, however, that they’re more than just regular customers, they’re more like extended family. Much like the other employees, many of the tavern’s frequenters can be found socializing with staff outside of the downtown hot spot. 

Johnson said the goal for the re-opening of the Noble Savage Tavern is to maintain the authenticity and history the establishment has held for the last 17 years. 

Slack said the changes would barely qualify as a facelift – a fresh coat of paint and renovated bathrooms. The most important component to opening the doors back up is to make sure their customers continue to have a good time and feel like they’re coming home again. 

One of the most notable traits about the tavern is their unique culinary menu. Slack said that was a major concern when finalizing the plans to reopen – they wanted to continue providing the same quality food as before they closed. Their current executive chef, David Stoddard, fits the bill, and both Slack and Johnson said they were lucky to have him on board. 

Stoddard, who is a St. Louis native, is a classically-trained chef who has worked all over the country and in high-end establishments including Southern Trace Country Club and Savoie’s here in Shreveport. He was with Noble Savage for the last eight months before they closed their doors. Johnson said he knows the ins and outs of the bar. 

“He’s a real super guy, very personable,” Johnson said. “He’s the type of guy who will come out and ask how your meal was and sit down with you. We’re blessed to have him.”

Johnson said while the food will continue to be of excellence, both their regular clientele and new customers alike will enjoy what the tavern does best – live music every night they’re open. 

Set to perform with his band Easy Money during the grand re-opening, Curtis Joseph has been playing at the Noble Savage Tavern regularly since 2002. Joseph and his bandmates, Sarah Smith Brown, Jon Deramus, Weldon Stutes, Todd Heard, Don Crenshaw and Scott Gerardy, will play an eclectic set of both covers and originals. Joseph said he expects there will be high energy and that the re-opening will be highly anticipated.

The stage, which sits immediately to the right of the building as soon as you walk in, will continue to be filled with music every night as promised by Johnson in an effort to maintain the tavern’s legacy of good food, good music and good fun. 

The support in taking on the challenge of re-opening has been widespread from the building owners to regular customers, and many are waiting with bated breath. 

“A lot of the regulars will walk by and want to see the progress of the place, and we always welcome them in [to check it out],” Johnson said. “You’d be amazed at how many of them come by just because they saw the lights on.”

“Most people who come in from out of town, people from New York ... or New Orleans, always say, ‘This is just like my bar back home,’” Slack said. “[It really is] just like coming home again.”

At the time of press, the grand re-opening date was still in the works pending the formalities of paperwork and licensing, but to keep up-to-date with their progress visit their facebook page listed under Noble Savage Tavern.