104-Year-Old New Orleans Restaurant Galatoire's Changes Hands Twice in 24 Hours

What a difference a day makes. In just 24 hours the storied Galatoire's restaurant on Bourbon Street in New Orleans -- owned for 104 years by the same family -- was sold. And sold again, the Times-Picayune reported.

At the end of the day Wednesday, New Orleans mayoral candidate and entrepreneur John Georges had a majority stake in the James Beard award-winning Galatoire's, famous for its Creole cuisine and Friday business lunches that last all day.

"You're not investing in a restaurant when you're investing in Galatoire's," Georges told Slashfood. "Galatoire's is just a way of life in New Orleans."
Earlier Wednesday, the Galatoire family announced that Louisiana businessman Todd Trosclair would take a majority stake in the restaurant, including the property and a sister restaurant, Galatoire's Bistro in Baton Rouge, the Times-Picayune reported.

Lovers of Galatoire's pompano with crabmeat, fried eggplant with bearnaise and powdered sugar need not fear. Georges, a long-time Galatoire's customer whose favorite dishes are the oysters Rockefeller and the souffle potatoes, told Slashfood that he doesn't intend to make any changes to the restaurant.

"I don't plan on involving myself in one bit of management. Hopefully I'll go there as a customer and I'll stand in line just like just like the rest of them," he said. "The employees are as much a part of what Galatoire's is as is the food."

His decision to buy the restaurant is absolutely influenced by his candidacy for mayor, Georges told Slashfood. "Yes, I've made a commitment to reinvest in New Orleans, and I believe if I'm to convince others to invest in New Orleans than I should be one of the first."

The restaurant, he said, is a symbol of New Orleans and its history, traditions and spirit. "They were one of the first restaurants to reopen [after] Katrina," he said. "I can assure you that no matter where you live, in what city, in what country, a trip to New Orleans to visit Galatoire's is worth the travel.