Is this even true anymore?

There are hundreds of little stories we tell ourselves about the quirks of this city which may or may not be true.  Maybe some of them were true at one time but aren't any longer. Or some of them were lies that became sort of true when enough people found the kitsch of the lie attractive.  And there are plenty of these little folkways that deserve more scorn than celebration once we examine them closely enough.  Take, for example, the "regular clientele" at Galtoire's.

Still, the original restaurant at 209 Bourbon St. occupies a hallowed place in New Orleans dining. It is part of a small circuit of historic restaurants, including Antoine's and Arnaud's, that specialize in the city's unique French Creole cuisine, to the tune of shrimp rémoulade, eggs Sardou, chicken Clemenceau and trout meunière.

Popular with tourists, these old line restaurants are sustained by devoted local followings, with allegiances that often flow through family generations. They have developed valued roles in the city's social rituals.

Think about who, specifically, those generations of families are and the "valued roles" they play in not just our social rituals but the course of our civic life as well.  Do these little wealth clubs represent anything most New Orleanians should take any pride in recognizing? 

Quarter monopoly

NOLA.com: Napoleon House sold to Ralph Brennan

Great. Another damn Brennan-owned French Quarter establishment.  Brennan says he doesn't want to change anything. I hope that's true. Despite its obvious touristy quality, there was still a decided lack of pretentiousness about the place. (Also, Menckles and I got married there five years ago. It was by a wide margin the only affordable venue in the Quarter for losers like us to have an event like that.)

In related events, John Georges is cutting other local plutocrats in on his Galatoire's racket.

This week, that group added two high-profile members, with Louisiana
shipbuilding magnate Donald “Boysie” Bollinger and banker John C.
Simpson becoming minority owners.

John Georges, majority owner of the historic restaurant and
publisher of The Advocate, sold 10 percent of his ownership in
Galatoire’s to the two men, according to a statement from Galatoire’s
released Monday.

The 10 percent stake includes an interest in the related Galatoire’s
 Bistro in Baton Rouge and in Galatoire’s 33 Bar & Steak, located
adjacent to the original Bourbon Street restaurant, as well as “in any
future endeavors involving the Galatoire’s ownership group,” according
to the statement.

Bollinger is the chairman and chief executive officer of Bollinger
Enterprises and the former chairman and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards Inc.
Simpson is chairman of Alexandria-based Red River Bank.

Someday we'll learn who wins the big game of French Quarter Monopoly they're all playing. The winner gets to build his own Iconic hotel on the Moonwalk.

Uber but for Galatoires

Robert Reich: 

Defenders of on-demand work emphasize its flexibility. Workers can put in whatever time they want, work around their schedules, fill in the downtime in their calendars.

“People are monetizing their own downtime,” Arun Sundararajan, a professor at New York University’s business school, told the New York Times.

But this argument confuses “downtime” with the time people normally reserve for the rest of their lives.
There are still only twenty-four hours in a day. When “downtime” is turned into work time, and that work time is unpredictable and low-paid, what happens to personal relationships? Family? One’s own health?

Other proponents of on-demand work point to studies, such as one recently commissioned by Uber, showing Uber’s on-demand workers to be “happy.”

But how many of them would be happier with a good-paying job offering regular hours?

If you want to see a picture of what the so-called sharing economy is really all about, look no further than the Galatoire's lunch line.

This is definitely not the first time the topic of homeless (or college) placeholders has come up in relation to Galatoire's Friday lunch, especially during the insanely-packed Mardi Gras season. Local critics including Ian McNulty have reported on the subject over the years. A Tiger Droppings forum once mentioned somebody who actually organized the homeless people to wait in line, and even tourists on Chowhound have brought up the subject before heading to New Orleans. For what it's worth, waiting in line is a commandment of New Orleans culture, and hiring a "day laborer" is not the standard for most patrons of Galatoire's... right, guys? Erm, like, right, guys? Biaggio DiGiavanni, the exec. director of Osanam Inn homeless shelter ("five minutes away from Galatoire's"), tells the Daily Beast otherwise:

It's competitive and the homeless people are aware of this line and they think if they can make a couple quick bucks they will hang around Galatoire's. Now more people are trying to get those spots.

But naturally this wouldn't be a truly New Orleans experience without this same homeless shelter director turning right around and approving the situation:

"Here's a homeless person and a chance to pick up a whole bunch of money just for standing around... It gives them something to do."

Right.

That's Eater commenting on a Daily Beast article just to be clear.  Maybe since the Galatoire's cattle call is how it's always been done, there's a tendency to ridicule outside media for affecting shock at it.  The Eater reporter seems to play to that sentiment a little anyway.

But whatever you think of the Galatoire's "tradition" it's hardly comforting to think that it's becoming a dominant model in the American labor market thanks to companies like Uber, Taskrabbit, et al.

I noticed this app the other day. Appears to be locally based. Still something tells be Galatoires patrons might want one specific to them.  What would we call it?  Stand-In?  Fuuder? Brunch-Me?