Iconic eatery gets new owners; favorites remain on menu, staff

There’s a new spin on an old favorite. Jacquelyn’s Cafe, a locally owned lunch hub, is serving up new owners. The original owners, Jacquelyn and Jimmy Caskey, who founded the cafe in 1983, have retired as of July 2019. Andrew Crawford, owner of Rhino Coffee, and Grant Nuckolls, owner of Twisted Root Burger Co., will be taking over.

Despite the new ownership, not much else will change. Crawford and Nuckolls intend to keep the same delicious menu that customers love, along with the familiar atmosphere. Even some of the friendly, long-time faces of the waitstaff will remain on board. Favorites such as the shrimp salad, club sandwich, gumbo, etouffee, clam chowder and pies will stay on the menu.

Some other changes might occur in the future – but all for the betterment of the café. “I hope to see the same dishes and level of service being delivered to a much bigger audience,” Nuckolls said. “The biggest opportunity we see with the restaurant is just bringing more customers into the fold. Part of that is generational (many friends in my age group have never been to the restaurant), and part of that is geographic. We have lots of ideas on how to bring this restaurant to a larger consumer base.”

Nuckolls is excited about the opportunity before him. “I’m looking most forward to the challenge of continuing the legacy of this iconic restaurant,” Nuckolls said. “The restaurant business in any town is challenging, but operating a small cafe in Shreveport truly takes dedication and out-of-thebox thinking.”

Crawford and Nuckolls have zero intentions of changing the iconic name. “One of the first questions we asked was, ‘Can we keep the name and recipes?’” Nuckolls said. “To us and our customers, the name ‘Jacquelyn’s’ conveys the nostalgia and personality of the restaurant’s founders, along with the culinary history of the dishes we serve. During the restaurant’s creation, Jacquelyn was under the tutelage of two legendary Shreveport chefs, Shorty Leonard and Deitmar Molitor. We look forward to telling the story of these chefs and dishes to our customers.”

The business will continue to be managed by Mitch Boudreaux, nephew of Jacquelyn Caskey.

Jacquelyn’s Cafe is located at 1324 Louisiana Ave. and is open Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit www.jacquelynscafe.com, or visit the restaurant’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/JacquelynsCafe.