Bossier City restaurant faces closure amid licensing delays, mounting debt

BOSSIER CITY, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — A locally owned bar and restaurant in Bossier City, The Hangar Taphouse & Kitchen, may be forced to close permanently due to five months of licensing delays and mounting debt. To prevent closure, they’ve launched a fundraiser, asking the community for support.

According to Jason Bogard, the business owner, they signed the lease in July 2024 and “immediately got to work renovating” the business themselves to transform the space into something special for the community.

Bogard said while the city processed their licenses, they still had to pay $16,000 a month for rent. The Hanger Taphouse opened for business in December. Unfortunately, on March 26, 2025, they announced their temporary closure until they pay back the rent or ‘ideally, raise enough to buy the building.’

Bogard says they are asking for help, “whether it’s $5 or $500, every donation helps us get closer to reopening The Hangar, bringing back jobs, and continuing to serve this amazing community that we love so much.”

Last year, we took a leap of faith and followed our dream: to open a locally-owned bar and restaurant right in the heart of Bossier City, Louisiana. We found the perfect space in the East Bank District, a beautiful building full of potential.

We planned to open in September, but unexpected delays in city licensing held us back. While we waited, the bills didn’t stop. Without a source of business income, we still had to pay $16,000 a month just for rent, and we did everything we could to stay afloat.

By December, we finally opened our doors. Winter is always a slow time in the restaurant industry, and being the “new kid on the block” made it even harder. But we didn’t give up. We fine-tuned our team, brought in a talented marketing expert, listened to our customers, and adjusted. And then something incredible happened: the community started to notice. February was better. March was amazing. We saw the spark, the momentum, and we knew this dream could work.

But unfortunately, the weight of those early months caught up with us. Because we fell behind on rent during the delays, we were recently forced to close our doors unless we can pay the back rent or, ideally, raise enough to buy the building and secure our future for good.

This restaurant was never just a business to us. It was a gathering place, a family-friendly spot where people came together. My own 5-year-old daughter still asks why we don’t go to the restaurant anymore. It breaks my heart every time.
The Hanger Taphouse & Kitchen, Jason Bogard.

According to GoFundMe, their fundraising goal is set at $125,000.