The Rum House, a New Orleans-based Caribbean eatery, is permanently closing its Perkins Road restaurant in Baton Rouge, the restaurant announced this afternoon.
“It is with deep sadness we announce The Rum House of Baton Rouge will not be able to reopen its doors,” writes Michael Buchert, co-founder and CEO of Island Time Concepts, the owner of The Rum House. “Like most small businesses and many in the restaurant industry, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating.”
Within 30 minutes of the announcement, the post had already been shared nearly 200 times and garnered more than 200 comments.
The Rum House opened its Baton Rouge location in front of Perkins Palms in 2013. In 2014, the restaurant bought an additional parcel near the development for additional parking. The next year, Perkins Palms’ developers bought nearly two more acres for parking, saying that parking in the development had become tight since The Rum House opened.
Island Time Concepts suspended operations at its four businesses—three in New Orleans and one in Baton Rouge—in mid March, on the same day Gov. John Bel Edwards’ order to close restaurants and bars went into effect. It appears the Baton Rouge restaurant is the only one the group has permanently closed.
Donnie Jarreau, who was the restaurant’s landlord, says he was surprised by the announcement and disappointed.
“They were a high-grossing restaurant,” he says. “Fortunately, the phone has been ringing off the hook. We fielded five calls within 10 minutes of their announcement. But we will be careful to make the right decision on the tenant.”
