Longtime restaurateur and nightclub owner Gregory Cush died at age 60 on Thursday after battling cancer.
He and his two brothers, Bryan and Joey, ownedThe Village Grille, Centenary Oyster House, and Café Shreveport.
Visitation will be from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, June 15 at Chapel of Osborn Funeral Home, located at 3631 Southern Ave. inShreveport. A service will follow at 11 a.m.
The family will have a private graveside service.
Related:Obituary for Gregory Cush
Greg Cush was the last of the surviving "Cush Brothers."
Bryan Cush died in 2014 andJoseph "Joey" Cush, Jr. diedin December.
The business partners were owners of many local dining and nightlife staples, including The Village Grille, Centenary Oyster House, Fat Cat's, City Bar, Joey's American Bar and Grill, Chicky's Boom Boom Room, The Boot, Fatty Arbuckles Pub, andRoadhouse Grill.Café Shreveport was the first enterprise, which opened in 1984.
Sisters Angela Cush John and Derrie Cush Lindley said their brothers had very different personalities and encompassedskills and qualities that complemented the others' and made the partnership work.
"Joey was known for being the idea guy," John said. "He was always coming with new concepts and innovative things to bring ideas to Shreveport that were just absolutely new and exciting."
"Greg was the worker," Lindley said. "He was the behind-the-scenes guy that was going to get the job done. He'd push up his sleeves and do the heavy lifting and he didn't want to be out in the front. He wanted tobe in the back doing the hard work."
"And Bryan was the numbers guy," John said. "He was the one who was going to handle the money and the details of running a business."
The idea to go into the restaurant and bar business stemmed from Joey who'd worked in the industry at a young age and developed a love for it, John said.
In 1984, Joey opened Café Shreveport and eventually, his brothers left their respective careers to collaborate withopening and running the businesses.
"They were extremely close and absolutely the best of friends," John said. "It also helped that they brought a different skill set and it just made for some amazing chemistry."
Their bars and restaurants differed in style and atmosphere, but popularduring their times in operation.
The brothers often traveled to other cities for inspiration with the goal of bringing back concepts that offered new experiences for their community,John and Lindley said. The brothers were devoted to Shreveport, which was a quality inherited by their father,Joseph Cush, Sr.
"They wanted to bring things to Shreveport to make people want to stay here, go out, and enjoy everything we have to offer," John said.
However, The Village Grille and Centenary Oyster House were two standouts — each earning the reputationas "the place to go" for graduations, birthdays, workday lunches, or to simply hang out with friends.
In 1988, Kelli Weinland was 19 years old when she was hired to be ahostess at Centenary Oyster House. She spent several years working side-by-side with the Cush brothers.
"They were fun to work with," Weinland said. "It was when the Oyster House was really fun and it was the place everybodywent after work (and)on a Friday night for Betty Lewis and The Executives, which was the big band then. It was packed all the time."
She remembers her former employers fondly for their competence running the restaurant and for the joy they brought to the workplace.
She described Greg as "the hardball", Bryan as "sweet and soft-spoken," and Joey as "the creative mind."
"They were kind people," Weinland said. "They gave a lot of people jobs that needed work. We had the same kitchen crew for forever and just kind of became a family."
The businessmen provided the staff opportunitiesfor training and experience, she said.
She described the trio as "hilarious," especially after business hours once the day's work was done.
"We would stay until three o'clock in the morning, lock up the doors and that's when I really sawthe comedy show amongst the brothers," she said. "It was just good times."
The restaurant also holds a special place in Weinland's heart as it was where she met her husband, Jason.
"I'm forever grateful for that," she said.
Many community members — and celebrities — have visited at least one Cush Brother's establishments over the decades and carry with them fond memories.
For the Cush sisters, they find solace at this time of celebrating their brothers' lives and legacy, and in knowing they are now at rest.
"It's a comfort to us to know that they're all together again and with our parents," John said.
