Jackson Jambalaya

Pay up or shut down. You don’t get to become rich off my back.

Failed City Leadership. No State Support. Elect all new local state officials this year.

That sucks but will not be the last....

Never heard of it.

That won't affect the people who continue to vote for Chokwe et al.

Yet another business has accepted reality.

next

Meanwhile Chowke is eating filets and drinking champagne in Miami.

453 - what "state support" is missing? The state took care of the water problems, by declaring an emergency as allowed by state statute. But - once the state fixed the treatment plant that failed due to the failure of the city to provide proper maintenance and proper staffing - the Mayor declared that "all was well; the city had it under control". That being the case, the state no longer had the authority under statute to continue managing the system, so the state got out of the business of managing a local utility. (Note: No other city, county, or other entity has a utility system that the state manages, or has ever managed.)

So - what is the basis for your "lack of state support" comment, other than to take a shot at politicians you don't like?

Fondren Fine is closing too.

Hopefully, Mr. Barksdale will open another restaurant.

@6:16

By state support, I mean our local delegation (of Democrats, mostly) not putting together legislation to address our infrastructure problems.

6:16 - I will tell you what his basis is. 453 thinks that everyone else in the state has a social contract to financially subsidize Jackson -- no matter what the reason is that they need money. Don't collect water bills? Don't send water bills? Don't use funds to pro-actively maintain the system? Don't hire people to run the system? No matter - the "haves" in the rest of the state have an obligation to help the have-nots in Jackson and bail them out of their poor decision making. Building a society where people don't suffer the consequences of their actions or decisions -- that's what the basis is.

712 - again, what business is it of the state to handle the city's 'infrastructure problems'; other than what the state already provides for Jackson AND FOR all the other cities in the state?

The legislature provided a fund from which the city could obtain funding - but for months all the city did was bitch and complain that Jackson wasn't treated "as special" - different from requirements that applied to all the other cities and counties. Finally, the city decided to play ball with the rules and obtained $40 million dollars for "infrastructure from the state. That was following the city obtaining $27 million last year from the State Revolving Loan Fund, another thing they bitched about because they wanted 'grant money' rather than 1% long term loans (which are what all other governmental units were obtaining.)

That ignores the $12 million a year that the state spends on Jackson's 'infrastructure' through the CCID. And the policing of the city through the Capitol Police at $5 million a year - something the city bitches about because they are actually policing and the results are some of our fine citizens are getting arrested and being held accountable for their crimes.

Just wondering, what is it that the state should be providing for Jackson's 'infrastructure' - whether due to the local delegation or other reasons.

Who owned that place? It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that you cant run a restaurant with out running water. It also helps if it is potable water. BTW, the restaurants and fast food restaurants in Madison are doing very well.

It was difficult to park at Barrelhouse.

And don't suggest parking 200 yards down those side streets.

Couple parking with covid (and the labor issues that followed), crime, inflation and water - I understand why they are closing.

Barrell House was a great place. I’m sad to see it close. Superb hard working people.

The back story is that the place cost a fortune to build that space out and had the backers not been very well heeled it never would have opened 6 years ago.

Yet they made it work for a long time and against lots of competition.

Someone will come along and make something work in that spot.

Come to Madison County. Open near Keifers (the next closing Jackson restaurant)

Need infrabrain not infrastructure.

Barrel House = Future Home of Pot Dispensary, the future of Jackghanistan.

Went to Barrel house tonight. Closed no water.

A real estate agent reluctantly told me that MBar is looking to open a concept in this space. Would be a funky bar for the ‘grown folks.’ I am sure that the limousine liberals in Fondren would welcome this new business.

Jim Barksdale owned it. He is a great advocate for Jackson.

The parking situation there was awful. Went once and that was enough for me.

LOL all you people moved to Madison and realized there isn't S__T to eat out there and are sadly begging for anyone to move a decent restaurant out there. Enjoy Chilis, poors. Sad!

Another fancy restaraunt with not so good food closes its doors due to jackson water

756- plenty of restaurants in that area are doing fine. Roosters, Basils, Walkers, Saltines, Highball Lanes, Pig & Pint, Aladins, etc etc are surviving. Others have failed over time (Babalu) - just as restaurants do.

Problem with Barrelhouse is more than just the absolute failure of the city of Jackson to provide potable water ---- again ------ is certainly a problem. But a place that is operating on life support to begin with, due to its limited nighttime menu, will not survive. (Hell, for a new restaurant to survive for five years is somewhat of a miracle in the industry anyway; without having to put up with the incompetence of a radical city management that thinks basics like water - or garbage collection, or proper sewer treatment - is important)

Hate to see the failure of Barrelhouse. Good noontime lunch; terrible 'eat place' at night and after having been told that several times evidenlty chose to do nothing to change it.

The mayor’s plan is working.

@10:08 At least Chili's in Madison is safe. Plus, you can't eat anywhere without water. What's truly sad isn't that Madison doesn't have a "Barrelhouse" restaurant. It's that Jackson has one, but you can't eat there.

@10:08 Caet, Local 463, Strawberry Cafe, Half Shell, Georgia Blue etc... etc...

I agree with the parking situation comments. That back lot they would like you to park in was sketchy AF!

@ January 4, 2023 at 7:57 AM

Shhhhhh....

Yep - that's right. Nowhere good to eat in Madison. Nothing to see here.

how can any make it without water and sewage? Asking me to trust to much.

10:08 PM
lol. lmao even. The best gyros aren't even in Jackson. They're at Yia Yias in Ridgeland.

9:08 PM
Frondren can stand to get more Murder-y.

How is that $400,000 water czar working out for y'all? Hizzoner would love to see him fail, even though he is a dem.

Tell them to come back in 8 years after the mayor learns how to do his job!

Wonder why the cities around Jackson do not seem to have the water problems Jackson does. It gets just as cold in the other cities as it does in Jackson. It rains in the other cities just like it does in Jackson. Anyone have any ideas why Jackson seems to have so many problems that other cities do not have?

I agree the parking at Barrelhouse was a deal breaker for me more than once.

I have work guests coming into town next week and we had toyed with the idea of The Manship or Lous Full Serve but its just not worth the additional headache to navigate potholes, park and try to be safe walking in and then hope there is water.

Its just easier to go to Caet, Shappleys or Ticos and get food that tastes as good.
Most of us will choose the path of least resistance, so I honestly don't see how any restaurant makes it in the city.

@10:05 AM - It's a no brainer - the dems have been running Jackson for decades. Look around the U.S. at the larger cities, i.e. Chicago, Baltimore, SF, LA, Oakland - all with a Dem administration, and all of them are a mess.

@10:05- Much of Jackson’s infrastructure is ancient and the surrounding counties have relatively new water and sewer lines . To be fair compare with Natchez and Vicksburg. Maybe compare the leadership in those cities .There is a fable out there about the ant and the grasshopper. Elect grasshoppers and see what happens when winter comes.

We just left Brent’s - very busy. A lot going on near Elvie’s, too.

Had they not sucked they would still be open.

No excuses for lack of water in Jackghanistan pass the smell test. Cold weather froze the pipes…nope, every city and rural water system north of Jackson gets colder and most are considerably colder than the city with soul. Old pipes due to Jackson being an older city? Nope, lots of cities and towns in Mississippi older than Jackson, including Raymond, Vicksburg, Natchez and Port Gibson just to name a few. None of these cities and municipalities lack water due to aging infrastructure. Jackson is not even in the top 10 of the oldest cities in Mississippi! Where there is no leadership, the people will perish. Good luck to y’all.

Babalu didn’t fail.

Latham grew weary of lack of help and water.

He just shut it down and went home.

He’s made more money in the restaurant biz than 99% of other restaurant owners.

Someone will walk into Babalu space and make it work

Not that it's ever stopped anyone on this blog before, but don't comment if you don't know what you're talking about...
6:48 and 9:27 Barksdale is not "the owner" of Barrelhouse.
7:57 and 8:17 Caet and Local 463 are in Ridgeland, not Madison.
2:03 Latham had been out of the Babalu business for a while and is not the one who closed it.

@2:03 Fact-Check: Babalu failed. Latham expanded locations too quickly and filed for Ch. 11 protection in 2019. The Spells took ownership in 2020 during COVID and shut it down during the Jackson water crisis. You can't operate indefinitely in food service without reliable labor and water. Incidentally, the quality of food and service had dropped off significantly before the closing.

Latham didn’t expand anything

Other investors took his idea and ran with it and they filed BK

Latham kept the original

Fact check 3:22 - Barrelhouse would not have existed, ever, without Barksdale.

Eateries come and go. Never heard of Fondren Fine or Barrelhouse. Won't be long before the only cooks in town will be those manning smokers on wheels beside gas stations. I'm not sure where they display their inspection notices, but there are a bunch of 'em.

Even before COVID, 50% or more of new restaurants closed within a year, and 80% within 5 years. Jackson doesn't have a restaurant culture like places like New York city, where there are many more people who eat out weekly or even daily. They should be commended for lasting as long as they did. The bloom is off the Fondren rose a bit because newer areas like the district and Belhaven are getting all the attention, but Walker's, Brent's, Pig & Pint, and Saltine all seem to be doing well. I think part of the problem with BH was that was too alcohol-forward to make it as a restaurant in an area where the lunch trade is important. Fondren Public seems to be doing just fine, and I'd bet their food costs are way lower.