Lafayette is home to one of 41 franchise agreements for upcoming VooDoo BBQ restaurants across the country.
Think Lafayette can't possibly handle another restaurant? Think again.
It's not known where or when, but New Orleans' VooDoo BBQ is coming to town.
According to The Times-Picayune, the now 12-restaurant company will rapidly expand in coming years with 41 franchise agreements signed. Among the dozens of new locations pinned down is Lafayette. Other new VooDoo restaurants will be popping up in Austin, Texas, Florida, Asheville, N.C., South Carolina and Biloxi.
The barbecue joint first opened on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans in 2002. Its menu includes items such as Pirogue Potato Skins, Fleur de Lis Flappers, The Graveyard and more:
Louisiana seems like an odd place from which a barbecue chain would spring. Although the state is known for its food, barbecue probably wouldn't come up in conversations about the various Creole and Cajun offerings. But [VooDoo owner Tony] Avila said the choice of cuisine was by design.
Avila said VooDoo will find success in other markets because the restaurant will sell not just barbecue, but a distinct experience based in New Orleans culture.
Still, Avila recognizes that it might be difficult to sell some people on the idea of New Orleans-style barbecue. With that in mind, the chain is hedging its bets, somewhat, with plans to offer barbecue sauces that are popular in various regions. Much like how McDonald's offers the McLobster sandwich in New England, VooDoo will offer a vinegar-based barbecue sauce popular in the Carolinas, where that combination is popular.
"The goal is to keep the menu as uniform as we can, but maybe make some changes and exceptions from state to state," Avila said.
The VooDoo BBQ planned for the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Pinhook Road in 2005 never materialized.
Read more from the T-P here.