Four days after announcing the triumphant return of hamburgers, baked potatoes and powerful monsoons to the French Quarter, the Port of Call abruptly announced on its Facebook page on Saturday that it is disconnecting the service on the sidewalk.
Mike Mollere, owner and manager of the Esplanade Avenue restaurant, said that one day the restaurant was open, which featured a line of eager customers spreading down Dauphine Street, it was great. But he said the city’s ban on take-out alcohol sales, which Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced Friday that it will take effect at 6 am Saturday, means there is no way to make it profitable.
“We reopened, but then the rug came out from under us. It is what it is.”
Mollere said the restaurant is not permanently closed, but any future reopening will explain what happened this time.
“Next time, I won’t jump again, we’ll wait and see,” he said.
For Port of Call, bringing back a famous French Quarter burger starts with takeout
The burger joint has been closed since March, but Port of Call recently decided to give it a try as people have returned to the French Quarter since the coronavirus pandemic began.
But those crowds have also been identified by the city and public health officials as one of the main culprits in the resurgence of the disease.
And on Friday, Cantrell announced that the city had no choice but to suppress the kinds of rampant gatherings that have been springing up in places that sell alcohol. He said he knows the decision will financially harm the city’s bars, but that activities that serve to spread the coronavirus and endanger public health cannot be allowed.
Mollere said he did not envy the mayor for the difficult decisions she had to make.
“She must have more information than us, it is a difficult decision to make,” he said.
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