When LeeAnne Wallbaum and her husband Billy decided to open W’s Steakhouse in Shreveport, they were relatively new to the restaurant world. “My husband is a fishing guide in Venice, south of New Orleans, and I worked with eye doctors, so this was all new to us!” she said. “I had helped a friend with her pizza business in 2012, and Wil our chef and friend worked at The Cub. Other than that, we had no prior experience owning a restaurant,” Wallbaum said. That small taste of the business, however, was enough to guide them to open their own establishment.

W’s Steakhouse, named for the first initial in their surname Wallbaum, opened earlier this year in the building that most recently housed Smith’s Photography, but prior to that, held a long standing Shreveport fine dining establishment. “Our location used to be Brocato’s and the building has so much history in it - people brought their prom and homecoming dates there, and people have gotten engaged in the building,” she said. “That’s why we wanted to open a restaurant in that spot. It was a photographer’s office for years, and we wanted to bring life back to that building and that community,” she said. “I just love that area. When I walked into that building I just felt like it needed to be a restaurant again. I walked in and just loved it. Scott (of Smith Photography) did a lot of work to restore the building. He’s very into art deco and really tried to restore the building back up to that era and to its original look.” she said. Customers who haven’t been in the building since it was Brocato’s reminisce on the ambiance, and are impressed by the new, yet preserved, atmosphere. “People come in and still comment about how the building looked when Broccato’s was here - ‘I remember the salad bar used to be there...’” says Wallbaum.

Fine dining with a twist is the house specialty at W’s Steakhouse. “We are fine dining and elegant, but we also want to have people bring their families in.” she says. And as far as crowd favorites on the menu? “Everyone loves the filet with our au gratin potatoes,” she said.

For Wallbaum, owning W’s Steakhouse is a labor of love. “I love meeting new people and visiting with our customers. That’s my favorite part - the people!” she says. “I help bus tables and clean up - you can find me talking to people around the dining room.”

Though Wallbaum is visible throughout the restaurant, she credits her husband Billy for helping to make it happen. “This is really is a partnership - I would never have done this without him. He worked hard and we saved, and here we are!”