Cody Simon didn’t just buy a drink at the Quarter Tavern, he bought the whole bar.

Ty Boudoin owned the Quarter Tavern for four years and decided it was time to pass the bar on. Following the unexpected passing of his mother in July of last year and conflicts with his landlord, Boudoin felt it was a necessary change for his family.

“I realized life’s too short. We always had a lot of bands. We had bands booked almost every weekend. Any kind of event we had, we were at every one of ’em,” Boudoin said. “That really limited us on what we could do. We have Saints tickets. We can’t go because we have a band booked.

“And right at the beginning of COVID, our landlord nearly doubled our rent, and then offered our competition a building in the strip mall next to the tavern. You know, I help as much as I can, but as soon as you cross me, it’s done,” Boudoin added.

At the conclusion of the football season, Boudoin put the bar up for sale in December. According to new owner Simon, the timing was ideal for both parties.

“I have a lot of family down here. I’ve been away for a long time, and I was really looking for a reason to come back. This was exactly what I was looking for,” Simon said.

Despite the change in ownership, Simon said he has no intention to change any of the traditions or activities which he says sets the Quarter Tavern apart from other establishments. Events like the recent annual St. Jude’s Hospital fundraiser are not going anywhere.

“It’s important for a small community to have events like that. It does a lot of good for the community and it brings in a lot of people. For instance, the St. Jude’s fundraiser. St. Jude’s means a lot to this community, so they supported it,” Simon said.

One of the key challenges for managing the establishment is booking and managing the bands and acts performing at the establishment. According to Boudoin, bands are booked for the tavern until later in the year, when Simon will take on the responsibility.

“It’ll give him time to learn about the process. He’ll learn which bands have which audiences, and when certain bands should be scheduled. By the time he has to, I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Boudoin said.

As a result, there will be the same live music customers have come to expect during the transition.

“You know, you can’t book a band for the next day, so when we started talking about the deal a couple months ago, I told him to just keep booking. There won’t be a wrinkle in business,” Simon said.

Although he is relieved to be free of the burdens, Boudoin plans to maintain a close relationship with the tavern and help Simon where he can.

“It’s the simple things that I don’t have to worry about, like getting a business call in the middle of the night, or the alarm randomly going off. But we are gonna miss it. It’s always gonna be our drinking spot. It’s like we built a family there,” Boudoin said.

Sherdell Landry, Boudoin’s wife, who helped manage the business throughout their tenure, says she will miss many aspects of the business.

“We’ll miss the friends we made and the experiences. But really, nothing has changed. We’ll be here like we always are,” Landry said.

An official opening event for Simon will be held April 1 and will feature multiple live performances with food and drink specials.

The Quarter Tavern is located at 910 East Main Street, Suite 33, New Iberia, LA. and the number is (337) 256-5842. They are open each day at 9 a.m. until 12:15 a.m. and on Friday and Saturday nights open until 2:15 a.m. The Quarter Tavern Facebook page also has updated specials.