Embattled Tigerland bar loses liquor license; neighboring business plans to take its place

BATON ROUGE – Reggie’s, a controversial Tigerland bar where 19-year-old Madison Brooks was drinking hours before her death, has lost its liquor license and will not reopen. 

The bar fell under scrutiny immediately following Brooks’ death. Tests performed after Brooks was struck and gravely wounded by a car on Burbank Drive show her blood-alcohol level at .319, nearly four times the legal driving limit for a legal adult.

The business’s liquor license was suspended by state regulators pending an investigation into the case, but the license was permanently revoked Thursday. 

“The issuance and acceptance of an alcohol permit is a privilege, not a right,” ATC Commissioner Ernest Legier, Jr. said. “We accept the responsibility the state has for ensuring public safety.

The owner of the bar also faces a $15,000 fine and was permanently banned from managing an establishment that serves alcohol.

WBRZ contacted the owner of Fred’s Bar & Grill, Marc Fraioli, on Thursday about the fate of the neighboring Reggie’s property. The bars share a building in Tigerland, and Fraioli says the plan is for Fred’s to expand into the space previously occupied by Reggie’s.

Fraoioli noted that they’ve always had ownership over the property and ultimately planned to take over the space once Reggie’s lease expired in 2030. He said current circumstances have only moved up that process.