NEW ORLEANS – The popular burger joint, O’Henry’s Food and Spirits, has abruptly closed both its Metairie and Riverbend locations.
Driving into O'Henry's in Metairie for a special occasions, Peggy LeBlanc says she could not wait to have a good meal with her family.
"My daughter, today is her birthday. We were coming here to eat for her birthday," said LeBlanc.
But instead of the aroma greeting her at the front door, she noticed a sign displayed on the entrance that read "Closed effective 12/15/16."
"We were just wondering what was going on," LeBlanc said.
Sam Quaranta, who lives and visited the Carrollton Avenue location regularly, could not believe it.
"O'Henry's has been here for quite some time and I think that they are going to really miss it here. It provides a definite aroma to the area and a friendship, the people working there usually happy go lucky, and get along pretty well," Quaranta said.
Camellia Grill restaurant is on the same Carrollton Avenue block as O'Henry's. It's business as usual Friday evening for the owner, Ronald Jaeger, but he feels bad for his friends and neighbors who own O'Henry's. According to Jaeger, the owners made a tough and heartbreaking decision.
"They were depressed and everything like that they had to do it. They didn't want to do it. They tried for a long time. But, hurting businesses around here for a while, so, she just made the call and did it," Jaeger said.
Jaeger knows their struggle. When the St. Charles street car line closed down temporarily last year, the crowd, like the street car route, diverted.
"So business dipped in this neighborhood big time. Every business owner went down big time. And ofcourse, when the street car came back up,business came back up, but she said she couldn't really recuperate because it was just that hard of a hit, for a lot of people," Jaeger said.
Those who loved O'Henry's for their burgers and birthday steaks say it's a New Orleans treasure they'll miss.
"Every time we come it's always been full. And the burgers are great. The food is great," LeBlanc said.
"The local people are going take care of the local people. I mean, the employees and the customers, better than any chain. A chain is not going to really care. So, it's sad when a local person closes," Jaeger said.
Attempts to contact Scott and Rhonda Conley, who bought the business in 2008, were unsuccessful Friday morning, with calls going to voicemails that either were no longer accepting messages or had not been set up.
No one answered at a number for Henry Rosenblatt, who founded the restaurant.