Panorama Music House coming soon: get a sneak peek into the new space

LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) - From Sloppy’s to the Panorama Music House, one downtown Lake Charles restaurant is getting a big remodel.

The sign, previously the Panorama Burger House sign, was removed from it’s old home at the corner of Bilbo and Mills Street, and refurbished as the Panorama Music House.

“When we found out the building was for sale, we knew we wanted to turn it into something,” Jay Ecker said, one of the Panorama partners. “We toyed with a few different names, and then when we found out we could buy the actual sign; that’s when we put the whole concept of Panorama Music House together.”

After Sloppy’s closed, no one was quite sure what would become of the downtown space on Broad Street.

That is, until Ecker walked in.

“Well, it all started with music for me and then, I just got drawn into the whole restaurant thing just because it goes hand-in-hand," Ecker said. "You know, for music to exist, venues have to exist.”

Ecker said the goal isn’t just to bring local bands to his restaurant, but to promote music as a feature for all of downtown.

“Downtown has always been a place for music. This was the original Rikenjacks 20 years ago, which was a hub for music," Ecker said. "And other downtown businesses, like Luna and Zephyr’s and Tia Juanita’s, are all bringing music to downtown. So, we want to be part of that whole scene.”

Panorama will feature things like a game room, a larger VIP area, and an outdoor patio complete with a stage and a bar.

Ecker said he wants the restaurant to incorporate Lake Charles’ rich history.

“We’re going to be working a lot with local artists, and we also are featuring historic downtown and Lake Charles venue names and names from the past on our menu items," Ecker said.

He said the main selling point is that they’ll be offering people a complete experience.

“Whether you just want to get some food, or you want to see some live music, or you want to check out a cool building; it’s going to be a total entertainment package," Ecker said.

The restaurant is set to open the first weekend of March.

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