The Daily Advertiser reported Wednesday that Drago’s Seafood Restaurant & Oyster Bar is back in town scouting locations — a story first reported by ABiz in 2012 — and has narrowed its decision to three potential sites.
The Advertiser reports that two possible sites are in River Ranch (River Ranch developer Robert Daigle tells ABiz one is within the development and the other near it) — the location Drago’s has long favored — and a third on Ambassador Caffery Parkway.
“I can’t wait to open a restaurant there,” co-owner Tommy Cvitanovich told the local paper. “I couldn’t care less what the oil price is now. I know the folks in Lafayette would love to have a Drago’s, and I would love to put a location there. It’s a progressive and fun place full of hospitality and culture. That’s exactly the sort of thing we love.”
Though Drago’s offers a full seafood menu, charbroiled oysters are what it’s most famous for.
Drago’s has three restaurants — the original in Metairie (opened in 1969), a location in the Hilton on Poydras Street (2007) and one in Jackson, Miss. (December 2014).
In 2012, after tabling plans for the Lafayette store, Cvitanovich promised he’d be back. He told ABiz at the time that the main reason he backed away was to devote more time to the Hilton-based eatery. “My customers ... I want to make sure everything is handled properly. The Hilton is kind of growing a little too fast for us,” he said. “I want to make sure we stay on top of our game.”