NEW ORLEANS — After the lights shut off at a Treme landmark, Li'l Dizzy's owner had to make a difficult call. Wait for the power to turn back on, or close up shop.
“I can’t afford to just be shut down,” Li'l Dizzy's owner, Arkesha Baquet, said. “That just doesn’t work for me.”
Li'l Dizzy's was one of the 1,800 customers affected by a power outage on Monday.
“I was trying to get information from Entergy and I realized how big it was. It wasn’t just affecting me,” Baquet said.
Baquet posted a video on social media, announcing that they would be closed just two days after severe weather flooded streets outside the cafe.
The closure is estimated to have cost the restaurant between $4,000 and $6,000, with Monday’s special always drawing a big crowd.
“Monday is red beans and rice, because people love red beans. So we do really well on Mondays,” Baquet said.
And with holidays just around the corner, business wasn’t the only thing on Arkesha’s mind.
“It affected my staff, and that’s the hard part too. It’s holiday time. Christmas is coming up, and people are dependent on their paycheck,” Baquet said.
After what Baquet described as an emotional few days, she’s received an outpouring of love from the community.
“I am thankful to the community, my customers have reached out, my friends and family have reached out,” Baquet said.
Tuesday, customers will still have their chance to get red beans and rice. Li'l Dizzy's plans are to be open and serve the popular Monday special one day late.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.