Kolache Kitchen owner Will Edwards is expanding his business to New Orleans this fall after five years of serving up kolaches exclusively to Baton Rouge residents.
The expansion marks the restaurant’s third location. Edwards, a Houston native and LSU graduate, popularized the Czech breakfast treats in the Capital Region in 2013 when he opened the first Kolache Kitchen on Nicholson Drive. The second location opened on Jefferson Highway in 2014.
Edwards signed the lease on Monday for the new digs, which will be located on the corner of Freret and Valence Streets—an address he hopes will attract college students from nearby Loyola and Tulane universities as much as the original Nicholson Drive location appealed to LSU students.
It’s a critical market for the business: Aside from its largely college-age customer base, a little more than half of Kolache Kitchen’s 30 current employees are college students, says Edwards, adding he will likely hire 15 to 20 new employees for the New Orleans restaurant.
The space will physically resemble that of the other two locations—a quick-serve, mostly to-go atmosphere, save for one key detail: the lack of a drive-thru. Edwards doesn’t think it will be an issue for the Big Easy crowd.
“New Orleans is a whole different community and feel,” he says. “You don’t really have many drive-thru options there anyway.”
Other plans for the new restaurant include an expanded menu with healthier breakfast options, a broader coffee selection and more weekly specials.
Though he wanted to open a restaurant in New Orleans eventually, Edwards says he originally looked for a third spot in the Baton Rouge area, scouting out Gonzales, Prairieville and Denham Springs for options. He couldn’t find anything.
“We’re still actively looking around in the Baton Rouge area,” Edwards says. “The opportunity just hasn’t presented itself yet.”
Renovations on the New Orleans location will begin within the next 10 days.
