NEW ORLEANS — The Ruby Slipper Cafe on Canal Street will reopen, seven weeks after the Hard Rock Hotel construction site collapse forced them to evacuate.
Ruby Slipper will reopen this Saturday, Nov. 30, at 7 a.m., according to the restaurant's founder and CEO Jennifer Weishaupt.
Their building was not damaged by the collapse and has since been completely cleaned and restocked, Weishaupt said.
"This is basically a completely new opening for us," she said. "Since being cleared to reenter our building, we’ve deep cleaned the entire restaurant including the ventilation system. As a scratch kitchen, we’re known for fresh ingredients and our homemade menu; we’ve fully restocked the kitchen and are starting everything from scratch to provide our loyal patrons with their favorite items."
This will be welcome news for employees as well, who Weishaupt noted have been patient and resilient while the restaurant has been closed.
"That's been the toughest part, the uncertainty for us, which we can't give them certainty," Jason Synakiewicz of the Ruby Slipper said in an interview with WWL-TV earlier this week. "Bills come up quick, and it's the holidays too."
The Ruby Slipper was closed after the nearby hotel construction site partially collapsed. Three construction workers were killed in the collapse.
An evacuation zone was established due to two unstable cranes looming over the disaster site.
Eight days later they knocked down the cranes, but parts of one crane remain hanging over the hotel site. That crane was stabilized against the site on Friday, Nov. 22, allowing more nearby businesses to reopen.
A new demolition plan announced on Tuesday for the Hard Rock Hotel, has moved up the timeline to bring the half-collapsed building down.
Fire Superintendent Tim McConnell said Nov. 26 that the previously planned implosion set for mid-January will no longer happen. Instead, a regular demolition could start as early as next week.
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