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Louisiana Purchase Restaurant Makes Transition to LP on Main; Now Open in Downtown Banner Elk

The new LP on Main Restaurant is located at 171 Main Street East in Banner Elk.

 

By Nathan Ham

It took a little longer than expected, but the transition from the Louisiana Purchase to LP on Main in Banner Elk is finally complete for Laurie and Patrick Bagbey.

LP on Main combines the storied history of the Louisiana Purchase restaurant and the Bagbey’s initials to create a new dining spot in the High Country.

“It’s a spin on who we are and who we have grown to be and who we used to be,” said Laurie. “We have been a fixture in the Banner Elk community for three decades, going on four.”

The Bagbeys previously owned Louisiana Purchase for 14 years and made the decision to close the location at the end of 2019 to focus on opening their new spot.

LP on Main is located at 171 Main Street East in Banner Elk, which is about a block away from the old Louisiana Purchase location.

“The reason for our move was a business decision to be able to own our own property, something we have dreamt of doing as restaurateurs. Having a free-standing restaurant that belongs to us was a big deal,” Laurie explained. “We have interior and exterior seating with lots of spacing between tables, really trying to be mindful of our restrictions and keep everyone safe, ourselves and our guests included.”

There are lots of new things to try at LP on Main, starting with their brand new lunch menu. Louisiana Purchase was previously a dinner hot spot, but now they have decided to offer both lunch and dinner selections. The menu also features a lot of new items that were not offered at the Louisiana Purchase.

“Lunch is new for us. We have a lot of new dishes and we wanted a simple, concise menu that has enough variety for our guests. It’s a nice, clean, modern take on things,” Laurie said.

Your trip to LP on Main comes with beautiful views of Sugar Mountain while you enjoy lunch, dinner, or maybe sip on some wine and spirits from their great selection of drink offerings.

Laurie and Patrick are forever grateful for the continued support from employees, the Banner Elk community, and folks around the High Country that not only made the trip to eat at the Louisiana Purchase but those that have also been patient with the couple following their dreams and opening their own restaurant.

“We couldn’t think of leaving this community. It’s where we want to be. It’s a beautiful place and they have been so supported to us so in turn, we wanted to stay here as well,” said Laurie. “Our awesome staff who worked unpaid at times to help us serve to-go meals in the shutdown, the customers who bought gift certificates and tipped on their take-out and the overwhelming community support of the business, we certainly didn’t carry the weight of moving and opening by ourselves. We feel so grateful to everyone who had a hand in helping us reach this goal and want to publicly say thanks so much to all of them.”

LP on Main opens at 11:30 a.m. for lunch and no reservations are needed unless you are part of a large group. They do ask that you make reservations for dinner due to limited seating caused by COVID-19.

Pictures From The New Location:

Chef- Owner Patrick Bagbey enjoying his new kitchen.

 

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