When a new customer pulls up to Gaga’s General Store, the first thought might be this is a good investment for the musician Lady Gaga. Of course, when you enter, it’s a different story. This c-store in the community of Beaver, just outside Oakdale, Louisiana, is owned by Trey and Zola Meyers.
If the pop star isn’t involved, what’s with the name? Zola explained that the name comes from her twin daughters. “One day my year-old plus daughter grabbed my face and said ‘Gaga,’” she said. “They called me Gaga. I was never called mommy.”
Zola grew up in South Africa and said that she always wanted to have a little store of her own.
“I always had a fascination with this store,” Zola said. “For years we’d stop here on family visits.” Around the same time that the Meyers decided to move to Beaver from Houston, the store came up for sale. “It was a God thing,” Zola said. The Meyers bought the store, which had been sitting vacant, and reopened it in 2025.
What’s on the Menu
Gaga’s has grab-and-go breakfast, but lunch and dinner are what really draw customers in. The store does a plate lunch every day and has a menu that rotates throughout the week. “We’re open six days a week. We close at seven and we serve until we’re closed,” she said.
According to Zola, the meatballs and Cajun sausage gravy is one of the most popular items. The meatballs and gravy come with homemade rice dressing, made from scratch using his grandmother’s recipe and with ground chuck. “It’s seasoned dirty rice, with a little kick to it,” said Trey.
Another big seller is the chicken picante, which is chicken simmered in a spicy tomato sauce that is also served over rice. “These old traditional flavors are hard to find,” said Trey. “We grew up on these dishes. We won’t forget those flavors.”
Hamburgers are always popular, especially when there’s something unique about them. The burger at Gaga’s is made with a smoked meat patty. “It’s a secret recipe from a dear friend of mine,” said Trey. “He’s a retired competitive barbecuer.”
In addition, Trey barbecues every Saturday. “It’s marinated and slow smoked. It sells out.”
A Community Space
Gaga’s sits on two acres and there’s plenty of room for community activities. The Meyers came up with a fun idea to bring locals together: movie night.
They have an inflatable movie screen that is about 18 feet high that they set up with big speakers. “It’s like on old fashioned drive-in movie,” said Trey.
“You can bring a lawn chair and sit where you want. Older folks who might not want to sit on a lawn chair can sit in their trucks.”
The Meyers run these events at no charge. “It warms my heart to sit there with the kids and enjoy the time,” said Trey.
In addition to movie nights, Gaga’s also hosts trade days, which are basically big community garage sales. “There’s a big turnout for trade days,” said Trey. “I think there was a need or desire. They just didn’t have a common place to do it.”
The previous owner of the store, Leman Vidrine, knew the importance of being connected to the local community. For 65 years it was the only shop in Beaver. “If he was out cutting grass, customers could come in, get what they needed and leave an IOU or leave money and make their own change,” said Trey.
“It was a general store and a community center,” Trey recalled. “It still is a community center. If someone wants to have an event, we feel an obligation to host it.”
“We offer free coffee for senior citizens and law enforcement. It’s the right thing to do,” said Trey.
Online Conversation
“In the old days there was a message board in front of the store where you posted what’s going on. Now, it’s social media,” said Trey.
“I don’t see any other way that people would know about the food without Facebook. Word of mouth only goes so far. We have bloggers and TikTokers show up to try the food. We have people from Dallas, Florida, the Carolinas.” Trey said. “It’s nothing for someone to come from Lafayette or Shreveport for barbecue or for a plate lunch,” even though the trip is a couple hours.
“It was Zola’s dream to have a store. We’re not perfect, but our intentions are pure. ... We love this community,” said Trey
