Category: Openings and Closings

Original Johnny White’s on St. Peter Street, watering hole for local service industry, closes permanently

(Photo: Dave Minsky)
The Original Johnny White’s Bar, located at 733 St. Peter Street, has closed permanently.

Two sources, including a longtime employee, have independently confirmed to The Quarter Rat on Tuesday that the bar is not reopening after shutting down in March due to COVID-19 restrictions.

According to one longtime bartender, the business’s four owners had been paying rent since closing due to the coronavirus pandemic and cut their losses, rather than pay roughly $60,000 more in rent for the next six months.

Johnny White’s was a popular sports bar in the heart of the French Quarter that was open 24 hours a day and a local watering hole for service industry workers. The bar had been in operation for decades.

State business records show the bar’s owners listed as Jeaneen M. White and Shannon White Diecidue.

The Original Johnny White’s closure comes more than three months Johnny White’s Pub and Grill and its associated businesses, located from 718 to 729 Bourbon St., shut down in May.

This is a developing story and will be updated when more information is received.

To contact The Quarter Rat regarding this story, email dave@thequarterrat.com.

BREAKING: All three Bourbon Street Johnny White’s locations close permanently

Jewel of the South sells tickets to weekend cocktail hours through Sept. 20

(Photo: Jewel of the South | Google Maps)
Bars in the French Quarter may be closed to the public, but one business decided to sell admission to private reservations to keep the drinks flowing.

Jewel of the South, located at 1026 St. Louis St., is selling tickets to drink at the bar for a cause: to stay the hell open and not go out of business.

Gov. John Bel Edwards issued an order closing bars statewide. Later that month, New Orleans Mayor suspended to-go alcohol sales as an additional measure to curb spread of COVID-19, effectively shutting down all bars in the city.

The reservation only policy parallels the city’s phased safety guidelines and is the first stage toward the goal of fulling reopening.

The bar has a GoFundMe page raising $15,000 in relief funds for furloughed staff.

From Aug. 13 to Sept. 20, Jewel of the South will sell admission to its series, Cocktail Hour Experience: Santini and the Muses, featuring a curated drink menu designed for those who like to “indulge and feel at ease.”

Tickets are $45 per person and reservations can be made for two to eight people and each ticket includes cocktails and a various assortment of snacks. The kitchen is not yet fully operational, although the bar will have food available for purchase.

Seating includes a “spacious” table in the courtyard or a table in the valued dining room. Drink sessions could last as long as 90 minutes, depending on group size. Non-alcoholic drinks are available for non-imbibers.

Cocktail hours run from 5 to 10 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here. Tickets must be booked in advance.

Additionally, face coverings and temperature are required before entering the establishment. Hand sanitizer is provided to every group and staff is tested for the coronavirus twice each week.

For more information, visit jewelofthesouth.com.

Cosimo’s begins operating as restaurant to stay open amid COVID-19 restrictions

Cosimo’s begins operating as restaurant to stay open amid COVID-19 restrictions

(Photo: Infrogmation | CC)
Cosimo’s, located at 1201 Burgundy St., reopened Saturday after obtaining a permit and is now operating as a restaurant in order to comply with New Orleans phased guidelines, as bars in the French Quarter seek ways to stay in business amid COVID-19 restrictions.

Cosimo’s reopened Saturday at 2 p.m. and with several changes, including the addition of physically-distanced tables and a set of restrictions that, if followed, will keep the business open.

Restrictions include: food orders are required to keep your table, walking around is prohibited, a mask is required when not seated at the table, signing in and a squirt of hand sanitzer upon entry.

Dogs are allowed, but must be on a leash and can’t be on bar stools.

To-go alcohol is prohibited.

The business closed following a July 11 order by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards that closed bars statewide in response to rising numbers of the coronavirus

Then, on July 24, Mayor LaToya Cantrell indefinitely suspended to-go alcohol sales, effectively preventing all city bars from operating. The rule also applies to restaurants, although they are allowed to operate and serve alcohol, but with table service only.

M.R.B. reopens as restaurant Aug. 20

Bourbon Street’s Red Fish Grill reopens for weekend dining under COVID-19 health guidelines Aug. 28

(Photo: Red Fish Grill. | Kyle T. | CC)
Red Fish Grill, located at 115 Bourbon St., is scheduled to reopen for dining on the weekend under COVID-19 health guidelines starting Aug. 28.

The restaurant will reopen on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Health guidelines include readily available hand sanitizer throughout the restaurant, frequently disinfected restrooms (at least three times daily) and a crowd manager assigned to each shift to ensure social/physical distancing requirements.

Additionally, each restaurant patron will receive a “hygienic package” to store masks during their meals.

Red Fish Grill is owned by the Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group.

Visit Red Fish’s website to read their complete list of health guidelines.

M.R.B. reopens as restaurant Aug. 20

M.R.B. reopens as restaurant Aug. 20

(Photo: Via Google Maps)
M.R.B. bar, located at 515 St. Philip St., is slated to reopen as a restaurant on Aug. 20.

The restaurant closed in March following the initial COVID-19 restrictions imposed by city officials, but reopened on June 4.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell banned on-premise consumption of bars and later, in July, banned to-go alcohol sales in July as measures to stop spread of the coronavirus, effectively shutting down bars that do not have state permits to serve food.

Tableau restaurant reopens for weekend pop-up dining