Four days after announcing the triumphant return of burgers, baked potatoes and potent Monsoons to the French Quarter, Port of Call abruptly announced on its Facebook page Saturday that it is pulling the plug on curbside service.
Mike Mollere, an owner and manager of the Esplanade Avenue restaurant, said the one day the restaurant was open — which featured a line of eager customers stretching down Dauphine Street — was great. But he said the city's ban of to-go alcohol sales, which Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced Friday would go into effect at 6 a.m. Saturday, means there is no way to make it profitable.
"We got back open, but then the rug pulled out from under us. It is what it is.”
Mollere said the restaurant isn't permanently closed, but any future reopening will account for what happened this time.
“Next time, I won’t jump back in, we'll wait and see,” he said.
The burger destination has been closed since March, but Port of Call recently decided to make a go of it as people have returned to the French Quarter since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
But those crowds have also been identified by the the city and public health officials as the one of the major culprits behind a resurgence of the disease.
And on Friday, Cantrell announced the city had no choice but to clamp down on the kinds of unbridled gatherings that have been cropping up around places that sell alcohol. She said she knows the decision will hurt the city's bars financially, but activities that serve to spread the coronavirus and jeopardize public health cannot be allowed.
Mollere said he didn’t envy the mayor for the hard decisions she has to make.
“She must have more information than we do, it’s a hard call to make,” he said.
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July 26, 2020 at 05:03AM
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Port of Call abruptly shuts down Saturday after briefly reopening after city ban on to-go drinks - NOLA.com
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