If you’ve lived in New Orleans for any length of time, you’re probably sick of the boil water advisories residents are constantly bombarded with. And while some take the time to boil their water or use bottled water if they have young ones or sick elderly residents in the home, many NOLA residents just shrug the advisories off and behave normally.
However, that isn’t a risk restaurants in the area can afford to take.
During precautionary boil water advisories, eateries and bars around the Crescent City have to adjust on the fly. These businesses must boil all the water they serve (or offer bottled water), thoroughly clean equipment, and much more just to safely operate and serve customers. How taxing is all this extra work?
Jay Morris co-owns Juan’s Flying Burrito, which has several locations across the city. He notes that Juan's locations are a bit insulated from some of the stresses newer, smaller operations might face during infrastructure problems like a broken water main.
"To be honest, we're pretty familiar with the situation because we're an older restaurant and have a clear procedure for when this happens. We have dish sanitation machines, and we're an older concept, but I do feel bad for newer concepts coming online who won't know what to do to continue operating," Morris says.
Morris explains it’s a constant adjustment when issues like this crop up so frequently. And he mentions there doesn't seem to be an end in sight as the city faces budget constraints.
"I don't see where the city is going to have the funds to replace all the pipes that need replacing in the near future. So, we'll probably be at it for several decades trying to modernize everything," Morris says.
Morris stresses that customers of Juan’s have been very flexible and patient during these issues, but many smaller businesses may not be so lucky.
"These things often go on for multiple days," he says. "You have to buy probably $400-$800 of ice per store per day. Are you running out and buying sodas in cans? There's so much to consider. When it messes up the experience, that's when it really lingers and causes issues down the road,"
While Morris worries about the collective financial cost these advisories pile up for businesses like his, he says going with the flow seems to be built into the DNA of the Crescent City.
"New Orleans is disaster-prone, so we kind of roll with the punches. In New Orleans, where all the citizens are so used to this, there's definitely a lot of understanding."