By TERRY L. JONES - Associated Press - Sunday, October 5, 2014
PORT ALLEN, La. (AP) - Business has been booming at Bergerons Restaurant since owner Kevin Cox came up with an emphatic declaration of his support for the Second Amendment: offering any gun-toting customers a reduced price on their meals.
Cox said hes seen a 15 percent spike in his West Baton Rouge Parish business after news spread that he was handing out 10 percent discounts to people with an appetite for Southern-inspired home-cooking walking into his restaurant with firearms at the ready.
Today will be the busiest Tuesday Ive ever had; and Saturday was the day I felt the real impact, Cox said during the lunch rush. It has just been crazy good. And most of them dont even carry guns. Theyre just happy I support the Second Amendment and theyre supporting the policy.
Cox says his phone has been ringing off the hook from supporters from across the country.
Somebody needs to stand up and say something - thats what Im hearing from folks. It feels great, he said.
Cox, who wouldnt say if he owns a gun, said the new policy - which went into effect two weeks ago - was initially born of his desire to offer a special discount to law enforcement officers, something many businesses already do. But watching campaigns for stiffer gun control laws heat up following high-profile mass shootings, Cox said he was reminded how secure he felt whenever his gun-toting friends or family members visited the restaurant. So, he ended up expanding the idea.
The policy is simple: To get the discount a customer can walk in with a gun visibly on display in a holster, or can simply show the weapon to the cashier while ordering.
Louisiana is one of 31 states where residents are allowed to openly carry firearms without a permit as long as the person is at least 18 years old and legally able to possess a firearm under state and federal law. While state law prohibits guns in some places, like schools or bars, the state Legislature has been a vociferous supporter of gun rights. For example, lawmakers passed a law in 2010 that allows people with concealed carry permits to bring handguns to church and other places of worship, although many churches ban the practice.
Considering the broad support for gun ownership in Louisiana, few businesses in the Baton Rouge area would be considered as gun-friendly as Bergerons.
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Marketing tactic pays off with a bang