Metairie's Lafreniere Park is still looking for food vendors to go in new $3M pavilion

A new $3 million food pavilion at Metairie's Lafreniere Park is again asking local businesses to sell food at the park after the first request was unsuccessful.

The Lafreniere Park Area Public Benefit Corporation, a corporation managing the pavilion, put out a second request for proposals from food service businesses interested in operating one of four restaurant kitchens at the Pointe at Lafreniere Food Pavilion being built on the shores of the park's lagoons, where construction is nearly completed.

Jefferson Parish Council member Arita Bohannan, whose district includes the park, said the first request, put out last September, did not receive enough responses and included a start date that was no longer feasible due to construction delays.

The pavilion will feature four kitchens with 383 square feet each, public restrooms and a covered seating area for over 200 people. Outside the pavilion, a portable stage for musical performances will sit in front of 12,000 square feet of festival grounds, with the possibility for food trucks to use the space during events.

In the new request, the park expects each restaurant to operate from at least 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily for one year, with an option to renew for an additional two-year term. Vendors will be required to pay the public benefit corporation $2,500 per month plus 6% of gross receipts for the first year, a slight dip from the original request of monthly rent plus 8% gross receipts.

Bohannan said she was interested in offering patrons a "diverse variety" of foods and cuisines, like coffee for the early morning walkers and handhelds for young families.

"I think the good thing about these particular kiosks is they have built-in clientele," Bohannan said. "Not just people who go to the park, but in the evening they'll have the benefit of the soccer fields. It's packed here at night."

In additional to its regular sports and recreation programming, Lafreniere Park also hosts Uncle Sam Jam every July 4 and the Christmas in Lafreniere Park light displays every December.

Tenants will be responsible for installing their own signage and kitchen equipment, as well as metering for water and electricity. No gas service will be provided, the request states.

The second round of proposals are due to the Jefferson Parish Council District 4 office by 4 p.m. May 30. 

The new pavilion was spearheaded by former District 4 council member Dominick Impastato to attract more visitors to the east bank's largest park, funded through a 2.5 mill property tax.

Bohannan took up the project when she took office last year, and said it's still unclear when the pavilion will officially open to patrons as they wait to furnish the building.

The first request for food vendors at the park came eight months ago, just as another agreement between the parish, a public benefit corporation and a restaurant in downtown Gretna quickly became a major source of controversy for the council.

The plan in Gretna, which involves building a $10 million brewpub using parish funds and leasing the space out to Port Orleans Brewery and Avo Taco, has been repeatedly hammered by At-large Council member Jennifer Van Vrancken and parish Inspector General Kim Chatelain over the past year. The two say the lease unfairly benefits the businesses without giving the parish enough back in return.

The brewpub first came under fire after Chatelain issued a letter admonishing the lease agreement, which will require tenants pay 3% gross revenue for the first 36 months followed by 6%.

Debates on the brewpub project have continued through the most recent council meeting, when the council debated a series of amendments to the lease agreements with Port Orleans Brewery and Avo Taco for nearly two hours before eventually passing them.

The Lafreniere Park Area Public Benefit Corporation and food pavilion have not received any criticism.