Café du Monde

Café du Monde ( or 'the People's Café') is a renowned open-air coffee shop located on Decatur Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a New Orleans landmark and tourist destination, known for its café au lait and beignets.

History

The French brought coffee with them as they began to settle along the Gulf Coast and the Mississippi River, circa 1700. During the American Civil War, the New Orleans Creoles developed the chicory-blended coffee (as there was a coffee shortage), which has continued to be served at Café Du Monde and other New Orleans restaurants. Chicory adds a chocolate-like flavor to café au lait.

The Acadians (Cajuns) from Nova Scotia brought other French customs, such as the beignet, to Louisiana in the 18th century. Unlike most doughnuts, beignets are squared pieces of dough with no hole in the middle and are most often covered with powdered sugar. Sometimes they are seen served with fruit, jam, maple syrup, or even savory items.[1] At Café du Monde, the beignets are served with a thick coating of powdered sugar and sold in orders of three.

Locations

"The Butcher's Hall" is the name of the original building at the French Market site where the Café Du Monde is located. It was built by the Spanish in 1791; however, it was damaged by a hurricane in 1812. A new market building went up in 1813.[11] The coffee stand was established at the upriver end of the French Market in 1862.[12]

For over a century, Café Du Monde was one of two similar coffee-and-beignet places in the Market, the other being Morning Call, which was established in 1870 and moved out of the old French Market in 1974 to the suburban area of Metairie.[13] After losing its lease in Metairie,

Starting in the late 1980s, Café Du Monde opened additional locations in shopping malls.[14] There are a total of nine Café du Monde coffee stand locations in the New Orleans metropolitan area: the original located in the French Market at 800 Decatur Street, Riverwalk Marketplace, Esplanade Mall, Lakeside Mall, Oakwood Mall, Veterans Boulevard, Mandeville, Covington, City Park in New Orleans, and New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport.[15]

Japanese franchise

After the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition in New Orleans, Café Du Monde was approached by Japanese businesses interested in expanding the brand to Japan. In 1989 the Duskin Company formally contacted Café Du Monde, and a franchise agreement was agreed in time for Duskin to open its first Japanese outlets in 1990. The franchise expanded to a peak of 32 locations.[16]

For the most part, the Japanese Café Du Monde franchise kept the same aesthetic as the original locations: green and white color scheme and the style of French Quarter architecture. Unlike the Café Du Monde stores in Louisiana, the Japan franchise expanded the original menu by adding different varieties of beignets, but the Café Du Monde coffee with chicory stayed the same. Along with their varieties of beignet toppings, the Japanese franchise also offered seasonal desserts, which are not offered at Café Du Monde in Louisiana.[17]

However, as of 2016 there were only 10 locations in Japan. In early 2018, Duskin ended the business relationship, closing all Café Du Monde locations in Japan on March 31, 2018.[18]

established	1862
current owner	Fernandez family
food type	Coffee & beignets
dress code	Casual
street address	800 Decatur Street
city	New Orleans
state	Louisiana
zip	70116
country	United States
seating capacity	400
reservations	No
website	Cafedumonde.com

History

Post-Katrina

Locations

Japanese franchise

Products

In popular culture

Gallery

See also

External links

References