A 94-year run doesn’t happen by accident, and it definitely doesn’t happen by cutting corners. We’re sitting down at Poor Boy's Riverside Inn in Lafayette with Richard and Lori Hurst to hear what it takes to carry a multi-generation Louisiana restaurant forward while keeping the food, the service, and the standards consistent enough that regulars can taste the difference the second a recipe slips. Along the way, we get the kind of stories you only hear from people who’ve lived it, like training across every role, the old-school days of expanding to multiple locations, and the unforgettable origin of the first lobster tank in Lafayette.
We also dig into what makes this place feel like home to so many families in Acadiana: scratch-made cooking, a serious seafood program, and menu items with real history behind them. We talk flounder on the bone, Crab Meat Imperial, stuffed redfish, and the philosophy that great drinks deserve as much attention as great food, right down to house-made mixers and a gentle push to put the phones away and actually talk at the table. If you care about Cajun food, Creole influence, and the craft behind “best seafood in Lafayette” searches, this conversation is for you.
Then it gets real. We unpack how Hurricane Katrina and COVID changed supply chains, pricing, staffing, hours, and the day-to-day stress of keeping the lights on, plus why catering and private events became a key survival pivot. We also talk about social media reviews and the human impact of online negativity, and why we’d rather you tell your server and let us fix it than save it for later behind a keyboard. If you enjoy the show, subscribe, share it with a friend who loves local Louisiana restaurants, and leave a review so more people can find us.
The podcast was made possible through partnerships with Rouses Supermarket, Logic Refrigeration HVAC, Ounce of Hope, Cajun Table, Vermilionville, Soul Haus Kitchen, Chris Logan Media, and Sunday Soda Fountain – proving that when a community rallies around celebrating local food culture, amazing things happen. Subscribe now to join this delicious adventure and become part of the movement that's transforming Lafayette's food scene one bite at a time!
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