Until recently, the Baton Rouge restaurant scene was best characterized by conservatism.
The biggest new openings were usually national chains. Menus stayed between tight guardrails, with almost all fine-dining establishments compelled to serve the same cuts of steak and crabmeat-topped fish. Patrons didn’t necessarily follow the careers of chefs; they simply returned to their favorite spots—and menu items. And integrating farm-to-table items was seen as an inconvenient risk.
But as Business Report details in its new cover package, things are different now.
While the Capital City remains understandably more restrained than tourist-driven New Orleans, the food culture here is shifting on several fronts. In the last year, dozens of new eateries have opened or been announced, and many are local concepts. Some propel Baton Rouge into new gastronomic territory. A decade ago, they might have failed, but today they have a better chance of succeeding, says Ruffino’s chef and co-owner Peter Sclafani, president of the Baton Rouge chapter of the Louisiana Restaurant Association.
“What’s changed is the people of Baton Rouge,” Sclafani says. “I think they’re demanding more—they know more—and local businesses are meeting that demand.”
Sclafani credits mass media for broadening awareness. Patrons are starting to order a broader selection of wine. They keep up with national food trends. They still order filets and crabmeat-topped fish, but they also value farm-to-table ingredients. And they are beginning to track the careers—and Twitter feeds—of hot local chefs.
“At one time it was frustrating because you have all this ability to cook these different things, but you have to serve what sells,” Sclafani says. “That’s still true, but TV and social media have helped expand horizons.”
In 2014, Louisiana saw $7 billion in restaurant sales, a figure expected to climb to $7.3 billion this year, says Stan Harris, president and CEO of the Louisiana Restaurant Association.
“You’re seeing an almost 5% increase,” says Harris. “That number has grown dramatically over the last five to six years with more options and with people choosing to eat out more because they have less time. If we talk about the state as a whole, there’s good growth in Baton Rouge, Acadiana and New Orleans.”
With 2.3% economic growth and 9,000 new jobs expected this year in Greater Baton Rouge, and similar growth projected for 2016, it doesn’t look appear the surge of the regional restaurant industry will cool here anytime soon.
Read the complete cover story. Also, be sure to check out sidebar stories on how Baton Rouge’s growing number of trendier restaurant concepts are gravitating toward equally trendy neighborhoods, as well as a look at the local restaurant concepts that have become successful national or regional chains and a rundown of some of Baton Rouge’s most iconic dishes. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.
