(The Advertiser)– A Baton Rouge area restaurant with several locations recently opened its first franchise location in Lafayette.
After a successful soft opening over the weekend, The Jambalaya Shoppe is now open for business at 4154 W. Congress St. in the former Krystal Burger.
The restaurant’s first location opened about 25 years ago in Gonzales, and now there are seven Baton Rouge-area restaurants, a Houma restaurant and the first franchise location in Lafayette.
“The restaurant is just a good, simple concept for Lafayette,” local investor Michael Topham said. “First and foremost, there really is no place in town that has jambalaya on a daily basis. And really, this is just a great, fast-casual place with good, wholesome, home-cooked food.”
And where else will you find a plate that features jambalaya, crawfish pie and filé gumbo?
Those three dishes, which are the subjects of a Hank WIlliams’ song, are combo No. 1 on The Jambalaya Shoppe’s menu.
The Jambalaya Shoppe, of course, is known for its jambalaya, but you’ll also find pastalaya (a jambalaya made with pasta instead of rice), gumbo, boudin, crawfish pies, side items and daily lunch specials on the menu.
Even after all these years, the restaurant’s founder Cheryl Fontenot never gets tired of eating the restaurant’s jambalaya.
“My favorite item on the menu would be the jambalaya,” Fontenot says. “I like jambalaya the right way, the real way. I can eat it every day.”
What is the right, or real, way?
A brown jambalaya made with rice, onions, water, salt, pepper and house-smoked sausage.
Topham, a certified public accountant with a restaurant background, first contacted Fontenot to learn more about franchising opportunities last summer.
Although there are eight locations of The Jambalaya Shoppe, the Lafayette location is the first franchise restaurant.
“This location will be the first that’s owned outside of family and friends,” Fontenot said. “It’s a new thing. We’ve only known the owners of this franchise for (a few months), but they’re good people. They’re Cajun people, and we like that. They’re family now.”
Fontenot never planned on opening a jambalaya shop.
She and her husband were struggling to feed their five sons during the oil field downturn in the late 1980s. Both lost their finance jobs, and she had to resort to cleaning houses.
One day, she found herself lost while driving and became overwhelmed. She prayed, asking for a better way to support her family.
That’s when the concept for her restaurant was born. The original location of The Jambalaya Shoppe is still open in Gonzales, which is designated as the Jambalaya Capital of the World.
At her restaurant, Fontenot focused on preparing home-cooked meals that could be ordered and eaten quickly for working parents who didn’t have time to cook every evening for their families.
Customers can order individual, family or catering sizes at the restaurants, which offer dine-in, takeout and drive-thru services.
Topham hopes to open more locations in Acadiana. In addition to locations in the central and south sides of Lafayette, Topham is planning to open restaurants in Youngsville, Broussard and Carencro.
“Our game plan right now is to have five stores in the Lafayette area in the next 2-and-a-half years,” he said.
The Jambalaya Shoppe is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday at 4154 W. Congress St. Learn more about the restaurant by visiting thejambalayashoppe.com or by calling 337-534-4140.
