NEW ORLEANS — For the second day in a row, heavy smoke from a marsh fire burning near Michoud blanketed New Orleans.
“People came in today coughing, saying that their eyes were itching,” said Dan Ellis, a manager at Port Orleans Brewing Co. on Tchoupitoulas Street. “You smell it inside and outside.” Despite the smoke, Ellis said people still sat outside all day and no one seemed “disgruntled.”
On Magazine Street, the outdoor tables at Joey K’s Restaurant were also full. “Surprisingly, it has not affected our outside business at all,” said General Manager Jill Hartmann.
She added that if the smoke were to get worse, the restaurant has an upstairs room it can seat to avoid turning away business.
But several other restaurant managers, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of discouraging customers from coming, told WWL-TV they have seen a noticeable drop in business on recent smoky mornings.
One said some customers have been refusing to sit on the restaurant’s patio, which makes up most of its seating. Another said the lack of foot traffic was causing fewer people to come in.
The fire is 100% contained but still smoldering. With no rain in the forecast for at least a week, the smoke is expected to continue being a problem.
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