What’s Going On With Buffa’s Bar in New Orleans? | Eater New Orleans
"Tucked on the edge of New Orleans’s French Quarter since 1939, Buffa’s Bar and Restaurant is an 80+-year-old dive bar, live-music venue, and late-night haven that I describe as a true New Orleans–style neighborhood spot. After owners Chuck and Janis Rogers—who took over in 2010 and rent the building from the Buffa family—posted a jazz-brunch livestream captioned “The Last Brunch,” rumors of imminent closure spread, but an outpouring of community support (local musicians volunteering to play for free, a GoFundMe that has raised $18,805 of a $75,000 goal, and a surge in merch and patronage) helped keep it open for now. Business reportedly plunged after Jazz Fest, forcing the owners to lay off about half the staff and warn they had only a few weeks of inventory, yet the bar has responded by offering free shows this weekend (musicians to be paid a percentage of bar sales if successful), partnering with Zony Mash for Wednesday beer tastings in July, shifting summer hours to 10 a.m.–2 a.m., and continuing to serve shows, beers, late-night burgers, and Janis’s homemade cheesecake — though how long it can survive remains anyone’s guess." - Clair Lorell
