NEW ORLEANS — A fallen structure on Magazine Street in the Lower Garden District drew the attention of dozens of onlookers on New Year’s Eve.
The employees at the adjoining restaurant Gris Gris now have a bird’s-eye view of the damage.
Eric Cook, head chef and owner, says what sounded like a car accident led him to close the restaurant during dinner service Monday night.
“It’s probably upwards around $100,000 that we could lose if we can’t get open, because if we can’t get open tonight, then we lose inventory, and then a residual sales on those is, you know, just starts compounding from that point on,” revealed the manager.
Fortunately, power was restored Tuesday morning, but the crew was racing against the clock to keep Gris Gris open on one of the biggest evenings of the year.
“Now, we’re going through the checklist of rebooting the kitchen, rebooting hood systems, and obviously we have Wi-Fi situations and internet and fire boxes and alarms and things we have to get up and running.”
The work was completed just in time for the New Year’s Eve happy hour.
This is the third building collapse in New Orleans in just three months.
Councilwoman Lesli Harris has set a Quality of Life Committee meeting for January 15 to discuss the following:
“Why these buildings have collapsed, how owners can be responsible in ensuring that their buildings are structurally sound, and what the city can do to mitigate some of the vibrations and other issues that may be causing damage to these buildings,” according to Harris.
The restaurant’s owner believes that this is the result of passing the buck.
“There is no blame, so there is no incentive for anyone to care, and the unfortunate thing is that we do not hold individuals accountable for wrongdoing in New Orleans. And if we don’t start doing anything soon, we might simply end up like Cleveland,” Cook added.
A city spokeswoman said they would collaborate with the New Orleans City Council to establish laws to ensure that vacant historical structures and buildings are inspected on a regular basis.
