RICHMOND, Va. -- Lady N'awlins Cajun Café, located on West Main Street in Richmond is closing, owner Jake Crocker said. The Fan District restaurant will operate for limited hours until it closes for good on Sunday, September 4.
"With the escalating cost of doing business across the board and the dramatic drop-off in people dining out here and everywhere this summer, it simply doesn’t make economic sense to keep pushing," Crocker wrote about his decision to close. "We’ve held this place down for almost 12 years and are extremely proud of our run."
The closure of Lady N'awlins comes nearly two years after Crocker closed his other restaurant F.W. Sullivan's.
The restaurants sat across the street from each other.
At the time of F.W. Sullivan's 2020 closure, Crocker predicted the demise of other Richmond restaurants amid the obvious business challenges the COVID-19 pandemic presented.
“These places that mean a lot to so many people — they’re unfortunately not going to be there when the world reopens,” Crocker said in the December 2020 interview. “You’re going to look around and there’s going to be a different landscape.”
Much of Richmond reopened in 2021 thanks to COVID-19 vaccinations. But supply chain issues, rising food costs, and a shortage of people willing to go back to pre-pandemic working conditions have hurt some restaurants trying to reach pre-pandemic business levels.
"It’s been a rocky road, particularly the past two and a half years having to close not once, but twice during the pandemic," Crocker wrote about the latest closing. "We battled through and a year ago were overrun with business, but couldn’t find enough staff to handle it. We persisted and honestly thought we were in the best place we’ve ever been just a few months ago, but this summer everything changed. We’re not the first to make this decision as a result and certainly won’t be the last."
Crocker said as his food costs rose, he had to raise menu prices to break even. Some customers, he said, were not happy.
"A half-dozen oysters were $11 - $12 a year ago, and now it's pushing closer to $18 or $19," he said. "I didn't have any choice. We weren't making any money. It's an expensive night out. I get it. I don't blame them."
Despite the challenges, Crocker said he was grateful for his time as a restaurant owner.
"I’d like to thank all the relationships I’ve made during my time at this crazy corner of Main Street," he wrote. "I’m grateful to the staff, regulars, partners, vendors, family, friends, neighbors and even those that just popped in only once to check us out. I always hoped we’d create a place that was meaningful and more than just a business."
Crocker said he remained hopeful someone else would come in and open a restaurant in the same spot.
"I live in the neighborhood and I'd definitely come in for a drink," he said.
