PORT ALLEN, LA — Jack’s Place in Port Allen is celebrating more than 100 years in business, and the family that has kept it going says the bar is not ready to close its doors anytime soon. Opened in 1924, the longtime gathering spot has outlasted Prohibition, changing times in West Baton Rouge Parish, and more than one generation of customers.
The bar was founded by Jack Saia, a first-generation American who immigrated from Sicily. Today, his great-grandchildren are the third generation to run the business, carrying forward a local landmark that has remained in the family for decades.
A family business that began in 1924
Jack Saia opened the bar in 1924, giving Port Allen a business that has now reached the century mark. The family says that history matters, not just because of its age, but because of the continuity it represents in a town where many businesses have come and gone.
Jill Saia said the family believes Jack’s Place may be the oldest business in Port Allen and possibly in all of West Baton Rouge Parish. That claim reflects the bar’s unusual longevity, especially for a place that has survived economic shifts, changing tastes and the passage of time…