For the fifth time in less than three years, city regulators declined to approve the Motwani family’s plans for a controversial rooftop renovation to a nearly 200-year-old building on the
New Orleans, known for its food, bars, and hospitality, had a transformative 2020, even more than most US cities. In a year that began with the grand opening of a new airport brimming with locally-owned restaurants and a food scene full of promising anticipated openings and exciting pop-ups, the industry came to a halt shortly after Mardi Gras. The city was hit hard and early by the pandemic, and by mid March the local and statewide bar and restaurant shut downs began.
Now, we look back at a year marked by heartbreaking closures, an industry braced for disaster, old brands beginning new chapters, and more than ever, locals showing their devotion to the neighborhood standbys getting them through it all.