A bar formerly associated with Tiger Land now has a new look, age requirement and dress code.

Dead Poet, located at 623 E Boyd St., was acquired by new management and now has an age requirement of 23 and a cocktail dress requirement.  
Former Dead Poet Associate Manager Justin Burnett said he saw a need for a more elevated nightlife experience in the Baton Rouge area. While it has been hard to change how people view the bar, Burnett said the new look is drawing in a crowd.
“People feel that this particular area just needed a place for grad students or people that just graduated that may still want to party and socialize in the Tiger Land area that doesn’t necessarily feel like they are in Tiger Land,” Burnett said.
The bar is now furnished with LED lit tables and leather seats as well as a new VIP section. Where there used to be a dance floor, there are now tables and stools. 
While the furnishings have changed, the murals done by local artist Ellen Ogden are still there. The new management also added a food menu to accompany the full bar. Each table has a QR code to scan for a food and drink menu.
“We got inspiration from Chicago, Atlanta and Miami and felt like there was a void in Baton Rouge that we could fill,” Burnett said.
Their new VIP section is currently used for people who come in with large groups. If the floor is full, large groups can pay a fee to sit in VIP to ensure the bar is staying socially distanced. In the future, the VIP section will be able to be reserved and used for bottle service.
Currently, Dead Poet holds events such as Bottomless Wine Wednesday and Bottomless Mimosa Sunday. Both events have recently changed to having a 21 and up age requirement to accommodate for a younger crowd in Baton Rouge. In the future, Burnett said they hope to be able to expand their calendar of events even further.
“We want to do live music, we want to do Latin nights, we want to do spoken word poetry nights,” Burnett said. “We want to do all types of events that are more eclectic and diverse socially, but we are just handcuffed as it stands due to COVID.”
Dead Poet follows COVID-19 safety guidelines such as having all servers wear a mask as well as patrons until they are seated. They also have their tables spread out to help with social distancing and offer customers hand sanitizer.