Drago’s Seafood Restaurant will close its Lafayette location at 3151 Johnson Street on February 17, owner Tommy Cvitanovich announced Sunday.
Drago’s, the New Orleans-based restaurant best known for its charbroiled oysters, began serving lunch and dinner on September 15, 2017. It has been a part of the Lafayette dining scene for more than six years but will reduce its operating hours to 5-9 p.m. on January 30th.
A dinner-only menu will be offered until the doors are closed for good at the close of business on February 17, a press release announces.
According to that release, the restaurant’s closure comes as part of a larger wave of eateries closing their doors due to financial and other challenges including an increase in unmanageable food costs. More than 20 restaurants in the Lafayette area have been forced to shut their doors in the past year and Cvitanovich explained that the Drago’s closure is just a part of this larger wave.
“We came to Lafayette with great confidence that we could enhance the seafood offerings in Acadiana,” Cvitanovich said. “The combination of a slow start, followed by Covid, and then the dramatic increase in food and operating costs was more than we could overcome.
“We learned a lot about the culture and the people of this area. We held on for as long as we could, but unfortunately the current economic conditions can only support so many restaurants and the only option left is to close the Lafayette location,” Cvitanovich continued.
“I would like to thank the Acadiana community and our local partners for the support they have shown to us. We are proud to have been able to serve this region for the past six years and we hope to see you when you visit us at one of our other locations around the gulf south.”
Cvitanovich added that current Drago’s employees would be offered employment at the restaurants’ Baton Rouge and Metairie locations.
Gift cards will be honored until February 17 at the Lafayette location and honored at any other Drago’s location thereafter.
