New Orleans officials closed several Willie’s Chicken Shack locations for violating coronavirus rules over the weekend in what could be the most significant action yet against a business that ignores city restrictions.
At least some locations in the fried chicken and daiquiri chain of stores, which has eight storefronts in and around the French Quarter, were caught violating rules aimed at reducing the spread of the coronavirus. New restrictions put in place last week closed bars entirely and banned restaurants from serving cups.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell specifically called Willie’s Chicken Shack when asked about compliance during a press conference Monday morning. Cantrell did not elaborate on the restrictions the establishments violated, although the store on Decatur Street was seen selling glasses over the weekend.
“There was a lot of attention there and my task force was on the ground and as a result those locations were closed and will remain closed during this pandemic until we reach a point where we can relax the restrictions but we are not there yet,” Cantrell said.
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In a statement emailed Monday, a representative for Willie’s said the chain “closed all of its restaurants because we couldn’t prevent our customers from leaving our facility with drinks in hand after their meals.”
“Willie’s customers simply ignored our signs prohibiting the removal of beverages from our facilities, and we do not have the staff available to enforce our policy,” according to the statement. “We strongly support the city’s efforts to combat the virus and look forward to reopening Willie as soon as it is prudent to do so under city guidelines.”
It is not immediately clear if other businesses were closed over the weekend.
New Orleans is tightening coronavirus restrictions, prohibiting all bars and restaurants in the city from selling take-away alcoholic beverages …
New Orleans has been stepping up enforcement of the coronavirus rules since the beginning of this month with the creation of a task force comprised of state and municipal agencies seeking violators. While other companies have been found to be breaking the rules, they have generally been given the opportunity to present plans to fix problems found by inspectors and have been allowed to reopen.
Cantrell said that overall, the response to the new restrictions was “business compliance.”
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