Restaurants in major cities across the country are downsizing or shuttering as they struggle to adjust to labor shortages, rising food costs, steep rents and the expectations of diners, 225 reports.
Some are even turning to catering, special events and delivery apps to squeeze out more revenue. To find out which direction Baton Rouge’s culinary scene is heading, 225 visited several restaurants to find out how they are adjusting to challenges.
BRQ Seafood & Barbeque, for example, has been packed for lunch and dinner since opening in June. But months before diners filled the restaurant’s dining room, bar and porch, Chef and Partner Justin Ferguson—whose résumé includes stops in New Orleans and Chicago—took a hard look at his local competition.
“I think everybody else’s prices are too high,” he tells 225. “A lot of the prices here are the same as on menus you see in Chicago, which is crazy. It doesn’t have to be, but I think it’s just because people get used to that.”
His goal was to have BRQ’s menu straddle the line between casual and upscale, with generous portions. Diners can even get lunch for $12, says Ferguson, who reflects the recent trend of chef-driven restaurants that have energized the dining experience in Baton Rouge.
While Baton Rouge is usually slow to national trends—sushi took a while to catch on—the city has started embracing locally focused, chef-led restaurants.
And unlike New Orleans, where 27 restaurants have reportedly closed since May, restaurants don’t usually come and go quickly in the Capital City. From 2016 to now, more than a dozen new restaurants—from Eliza to Cocha and Ava Street Café—have opened. Only two buzzed-about restaurants closed early this year: Table Kitchen & Bar and Goûter.
