LAFAYETTE, La. — Some local establishments now have a whole new way of communicating with their customers.
The Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) partnered with Lafayette Travel on the Lafayette en Français project to make Lafayette more French friendly.
"It just helps the feeling of inclusivity of our community," said Rachel Granier, co-owner of Amis Grocery.
But, this project can bring that same feeling to tourists.
"We had some customers from France that came in, and I could see them kind of trying to go over our normal menu," said Lori Walls, owner of Johnson's Boucanière. "I said 'Tu parles Français?', and they said 'Yes,'. So, I reached over and gave them the French menu, and they just lit up. They were so excited to have something, you know, that they could—that could help."
Seeing the sign shown above in a restaurant means they have a French Translation of their menu available to you.
"We use it quite regularly. We get a lot of international travelers across Canada, France and Belgium at least once or twice a week. They're coming in, and we're able to then communicate with our customers," said Bradley Cruice, co-owner of Amis Grocery.
CODOFIL received a Lafayette Visitors Enterprise Fund grant, administered by the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission (Lafayette Travel), to create the Lafayette en Français project. This project provides these translated menus as a means to bring Louisiana's French further into the tourism industry.
"I think we have a tendency to always focus on the cultural value of French and how much it means to us," said Marguerite Justus, the community development specialist at CODOFIL. "There is an economic value. It is something that makes our part of the country different from every other part of the United States."
This one project feeds into a larger initiative by CODOFIL—the Oui! Initiative, which makes French-friendly businesses even more accessible to tourists and locals alike.
The Oui! Initiative is a database of Louisiana businesses that are able to provide services in French, whether that means the entire staff is fluent, or just one staff member is, or they have French-translated materials available.
"It doesn't just include swamp tours and restaurants and things like that, but it also includes things that a Louisianan might use. I mean, there's everything from lawyers. There are dentists. There are real estate agents. There are auto-mechanic, you know, type of businesses," Justus said.
To recommend a business be added to that database, click here.
CODOFIL recently received word that they have been awarded a grant to fund round two of the Lafayette en Français project. This time, along with more restaurants, they're hoping to bring in other businesses in the tourism industry, like hotels and car rental businesses.
If you believe your business could benefit from French-translated materials, email CODOFIL at codofil@crt.la.gov or call 337-262-5810.
