Summer dining in New Orleans is full of hidden opportunities

The summer months are notoriously brutal for restaurants in and around New Orleans. That slump generally begins after Memorial Day, and plenty of local businesses are bracing themselves and wondering if they’ll make it through the season. However, NOLA.com’s Ian McNulty says this is the perfect time to give a hand up to the city’s restaurants, both for their benefit and your own.

“I want to talk about summer! What I think deserves more attention is the joy and the pleasure of dining in New Orleans during the summer time for us,” McNulty noted. He specifically points out the benefits for those anxious locals who would love to hit up one of the city’s popular dining hotspots, but normally aren’t willing to deal with the wait times or issues getting reservations. “We’ve essentially got the campus to ourselves between semesters here,” the food writer chuckled.

McNulty emphasizes that making a point of going out with friends and family is mutually beneficial at this time of year. Local restaurants need the business more than ever and diners can usually grab a spot at otherwise popular spots without a reservation or even a long wait. “Think about it. The reservation books are much looser. Even the hot spots are even available at the last minute. Additionally, our own calendars tend to get looser at this time of the year for social get-togethers,” he went on to add.

Another hidden benefit of frequenting a restaurant when business is slow and the chips are down? That’s the time to become a recognized and valued “regular” by the staff, according to McNulty. “If you’ve ever wanted to be one of those people who’s a ‘regular’ at a restaurant and is instantly recognized by the staff and the bartenders, this is when that burns in. Not when it’s three-deep at the bar. Summer is a very long haul and it can be very rough for restaurants. This is the time when restaurants need to see their best regulars and it’s when dining out matters more. This is when the chips are down,” emphasized McNulty.