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Axios
05-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Why this Mexican restaurant is closing for Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo is the busiest day of the year for Felipe's, but owner Pike Howard says he's decided to close up early to avoid the crowds. Why it matters: The decision, which he says he's made along with a handful of other Bienville Street businesses, is out of concern for public safety. The big picture: Despite most numbers showing a marked decrease in violent crime across New Orleans, the French Quarter has had an exceptionally difficult start to the year. It started with the Jan. 1 terror attack that killed 14 bystanders and injured dozens of others. It also includes a shooting during French Quarter Fest just a couple of weeks ago that injured five people and which Howard says was the catalyst for his decision to close Monday. What he's saying: "Instead of passing the baton to someone else to take care of it, I think we can solve this on our own," Howard tells Axios New Orleans. "This is local, boots-on-the-ground collaboration, and for us, that's been a comforting thing. It's not a blame game." Catch up quick: Heading into 2025, Howard felt like the city was moving ahead with good momentum. "The Super Bowl and Taylor Swift ["The Eras Tour" concerts] were really good examples of our ability to execute as a city," he says. "Things were feeling good, and we were seeing that in our numbers as well. The most recent shooting at French Quarter Fest felt like a step backwards." After that shooting, Howard says, he considered that there had also been a shooting outside Felipe's during the last Cinco de Mayo. He started seeing a link he couldn't ignore. "When we get a significant crowd later in the day, a lot of times, the result is violence, fights or shooting," he says. The solution felt obvious. Zoom in: "There's the myopic financial hit. It's not ideal in terms of closing on what is always your busiest day of the year, but if you step out and start to take a longer-term approach, I think you say, 'Well, I wanna be in this spot where I am in business 15 years from now,'" he says. "A lot of that hinges on team members and guests feeling safe." What's next: Felipe's in the French Quarter will close at 6pm Monday. Other Bienville Street businesses, which Howard did not want to speak for, also plan to close early, he says.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
French Quarter businesses planning to close early for Cinco de Mayo
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Cinco de Mayo in the French Quarter typically means packed patios, festive music and lines down the block. But this year, the celebration will be cut short along Bienville Street, as several bars and restaurants plan to close early. Felipe's Mexican Taqueria and Ryan's Pub have announced they will voluntarily shut their doors at 6 p.m., despite the evening being one of their biggest nights of the year. Tolling date delays continue for Belle Chasse Bridge 'This year we would try to close a little bit earlier to give ourselves and other businesses on the block, as well as the police, more time to sort of organize, and not have a situation where the crowd was there late and possibly violence was the end result, which is what we have seen in the past,' Pike Howard, owner of Felipe's Mexican Taqueria said. The move comes in response to recent violence in the area, including a shooting during French Quarter Fest just blocks away. Last Cinco de Mayo, one man was killed following a shooting on Bienville Street. 'Let's play a little offense. Let's make a decision to try to do something about an issue that we know has been happening in the past, and make sure that it doesn't happen going forward,' said Howard. Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans gives update on power and pump status While early closures mean a significant hit to revenue, especially for Mexican restaurants on a holiday that brings in massive crowds, owners say the decision will hopefully restore safety and confidence in the French Quarter. 'Cinco de Mayo is literally the Super Bowl of Mexican restaurants, right? So it's not something we want to do, but we feel like if we do this now, in the future it will pay dividends later. People will want to come here and feel safe and have a good time in the French Quarter,' said person arrested in Kentwood homicide case French Quarter businesses planning to close early for Cinco de Mayo Saints linebacker three-peats at Zurich Celebrity Shootout Environmental groups protest EPA administrator's visit to border in California Which food dyes are expected to be eliminated in the US? Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
