Jackson Jambalaya

I love having dining options in Jackson, and I hate to see any business fail. But I gave Eudora's multiple chances, and their food just wasn't great. Everything was over-salted. I wanted to like them, but someone in their kitchen had a sodium fixation.

The first part of the second sentence is the reason. With the expense of that location, margins are not going to allow for a “living wage”, that’s what tipping is for.

I'm confused. What does paying a living wage to waitresses and waiters look like? They don't get to keep their tips and the business just pays an hourly rate?

Imagine bragging about paying a “living wage” ….and how your business didn’t even last two years, are good things.

This is your brain on Reddit

The District has big problems.

They didn’t make it nearly exclusive enough, or instagrammable enough, for their target market.

DC can’t afford the “living wage” idea and Jackson can’t either. But the living wage here is a scape goat. That place sucked and it was high as a kite.

I went one time and the waiter served our food and disappeared.

Parking was a problem and the menu options were limited especially when it came to vegetables and salads. The bar was the best in Jackson. I'm sorry to see it go.

I only waited an hour and a half for a simple plate lunch everytime I went

a restaurant going out of business after 2 years. imagine that.
failure rate in that business is about 90%. surprised they lasted that long.
i dont know who owned the joint but they need to go get themselves a food truck instead.

The district doesn’t have big problems. Sal & Mookies crushes it and so does orange theory as well as the pharmacy. That restaurant has big problems. Food took forever and the orders were often wrong. Terrible place honestly

The fundamental problem is they were too expensive for their market.

proof yet again , something ''new , interesting , and bold,'' will not work around here.

@9:09 They were busy earning that living wage… out the back door… puffing their THC vape and doomscrolling TikTok

That’s a tough business, knowing when you open there’s a good chance you’ll be out of business in a year or two. Going woke just increases your chance of not making it. It’s not a living wage if you’re not around to pay it.

Next-

We live near the District and were excited when they opened. The food was not consistent and the service was plain bad. The third and final time we went we were just abandoned after placing our drink orders and ultimately walked out. It's not the curse of high expectations; it was flawed execution from start to finish.

That location is cursed. Fine & Dandy wasn't, then something else or maybe two something elses, now this. Must be something in the walls, maybe the hipster stank from F&D is still in there.

The food was not good. There were too many other fine dining options we strongly preferred and it was never an option.

8:50 AM seems right. Why did Bank Plus move their main operation from the great location in Ridgeland on Highland Colony to The District?

It was invaded by the "buy one drink, sit at the bar all night, and leave a shitty tip" crowd. The atmosphere was ruined. Ask them. Quietly, they will tell you.

Service was terrible. Food was not good. I didn't know it was possible for a medium rare steak to be dry until Eudora's.

Nothing like a passive/aggressive excuse to blame everyone else but you.

@9:37 AM. Beat me to it. That location IS cursed. Maybe Sophomore Spanish Club was there at some point?

@9:13 overall churn there says otherwise.

Bank plus moved there bc many of the higher ups live around the corner in Eastover. Many developers do as well. Alot of the builders and developers live over in Eastover and northeast Jackson. Madison and ridgeland people don’t know this though unless there kids attend JA or prep.

I work in The District and went there once on somebody else's dime. It was way too expensive for lunch ($20+) and mediocre at best. The District does have issues when it comes to dining establishments. Sal & Mookies has lasted longer than anything else, and I'm not sure how.

Yep, that's it....couldn't come to mind. I don't remember if there was something else in there as well. I went to Fine & Dandy once for lunch and my burger tasted like it had ash in it and was ridiculously expensive, even for pre-covid times.

Killed many a place. Drink prices have to go up. Less sweet drinks.

It screams “dental office”

Location just isn't good and rent is too high. Everything put there will fail.

sophomore spanish club and something else was where Sal and Mookies is now. Eudora's was just Fine and Dandy before. Derek Emerson has already said he's moving into the Eudora space. I imagine another local and very successful restauranteur can make it work

Maybe with the exception of the decor, I don't think Eudora's was any of those things. There are several other restaurants in the area with similar menus and better execution.

Well I guess we can close the book on the thinking a restaurant named "Eudora" could ever make you welty, right?

I can always count on at least a few comments per thread to always get it wrong while pretending to be absolutely right. Bankplus HQ is still in Ridgeland. Bankplus Wealth Management is at The District.

Went there twice. Service was terrible both times. The last time I went, my table was the first one there for Sunday Brunch. We were there for almost 15 minutes before anyone bothered to come to the table. I had to go ask the hostess where the waiter was.

Welcome the new Walker's as they will leave Fondren for these new digs. Great work Virgi, allowing that cheesy piano bar in, taking all of Walker's parking. Great job!

Sounds like from comments that paying a living wage didn't lead to hiring better talent

Good service at restaurants in Jackson metro area is very hard to come back. Not enough good tippers around here to lure the type of folks who would care about delivering good service into the profession ...

the service truly was terrible... chronically understaffed and the people who did show up were terrible. The owners had no experience in the industry and no business trying to make it happen. It's a good piece of real estate, I think the Emerson concept will be good and work for a long time. It's the same story at La Cour in HV - terrible staff, and an owner who had no business in the business.

You said La Cour. Ohhh..... I wish we had Maison La Cour up here.

Pretty simple. A large amount of wealth they needed to survive lives 10 or more minutes north. They don't have to drive south anymore.

11:56 - Another poster that I'm pretty sure has no idea what they're talking about.

Wow! To the update

Now can we address Olde English Village

It makes sense that bank plus wealth management is in the district. So close to Eastover and head of wealth management lives in Eastover. It’s funny to me these guys in Madison are totally unaware of the amount of money in northeast Jackson. I guess you have to be a regular at JCC or RHC to know this or have students at prep /JA… it’s a snobby crowd for sure

Great. One shmuck restaurant traded for another. It’ll be closed again within 2 yrs.

As long as those mailbox checks keep arriving, Eastover will survive. If you live in Eastover and don't have a trust fund, you are a chump.

I figured this wouldn't last long. Did some work there for the opening and there were 5 restaurant gurus sitting in front of laptops but none knew where a simple piece of equipment was. Doubt the one coming in will do any better

Derek walking in and picking up the pieces to bring great product to NE Jackson. Thank you and your staff.

2:55 is correct - right up to the snobby cut. Real wealth is oftentimes discreet, unlike the Madison crowd that gets a note for a Range Rover on a journeyman's salary.

I tried Eudora's once and wasn't impressed. It was overpriced for what we got.

I really miss the food hall. There were a lot of good options, and a great bar with a nice happy hour! It's a shame that all of that went under.

@3:13 PM I can’t tell if you are one of us or jealous. If you are the latter then it is too bad your grandparents didn’t have the brains to build a foundation of generational wealth. I close my eyes thank my ancestors every time my $10,000+ per month direct deposits. Honor thy father and mother.

More money in Reunion that there is in Eastover.

Yes, 8:50! The buildings are butt-ugly Minneapolis Modern (the style is instantly recognizable to anyone who flew Northworst, which used Minneapolis as a hub). The grounds are bleak and barren. The apartments are shabbily-constructed (we don't live in the area, anymore, but a drive by, during construction, revealed 2x4 wood framing, with plywood between floors, instead of concrete poured on metal corrugate supported by metal trusswork, which is quieter, and more fire resistant, and fairly bullet-resistant). If someone knows the actual specs (and that they were actually implemented), I'd love to be proven wrong.

But from what we observed, that "Modernist" creation was nothing but modernESQUE pastiche. It's an INSTASLUM. It spells DOOM for the actual Eastover neighborhood. The apartments' demographics are wholly dependent upon - completely PROPPED-UP BY - the giant medical complex across the Interstate.

At a party, I heard someone call it, "Machine Esthetic Cargo Cult". Beneath the apartments' synthetic skin, it's basically the same as those firetrap apartment "communities" all over the metro - only taller - and with sprinklers and alarms (which have to actually work, ya know, and require competent responders - in Jackson).

What is a journeyman? Ahhh I get it….I see what you did there….so sneaky you

I'm not getting into the pissing contest between 3:13, 4:34 and 4:46, however I fondly remember the days when you could not live in Eastover on $10,000 per month. Too many people making too many comments about things they know nothing about.

"oftentimes"???? You obviously were not raised in Mississippi. We were taught a whole list of things NOT to say. That was on the list, along with "take and", and "in this day and age". When we asked who even said things like that, we were told, "Ignorant Yankee factory workers". Apparently, however, non-native-speakers teaching Idiomatic English to immigrants, didn't get the memo, and actually TEACH immigrants to say those things.

Are you even in North America? "journeyman"? Are you even human, and not (defective) AI? BTW, Range Rovers are GHETTO, along with Mercedes. They're what people drive, now, in Jackson.

Emerson is delusional to think he can keep opening joints and opening bank accounts. First thing you know, He'll be writing a Kingfish column that allows no comments. Just please leave out your bi-monthly trips overseas.

Someone says Journeyman and I think of Eric Clapton.

In this day and age, a journeyman will often be able to very quickly get under of the skin of .......well, fill in your own blank.

8:46 AM for the win.
"Imagine bragging about paying a “living wage” ….and how your business didn’t even last two years, are good things."

I ate there once, overpriced and average at best.

@4:46, that’s funny. If you had said Bridgewater combined with Greenwood Plantation you may have had a chance with the Jackson exodus over the years. Problem for the area is, very few people with real money spend much of their time here, they are usually at one of their other homes. And you can’t really blame them.

Too many of you DEI people have no understanding of the Journeyman concept - Wherein one steps through a progression of titles based on his studies, skill, sticking-to-it and demonstration of progress over considerable time and testing...in pursuit of a top level trade wage. Say it with me....$53.00 an hour. Apprentice, Journeyman, Master.

Next, class, we will discuss Red Seal Endorsement.

8:46, what I believe you meant to say, was, "In this day and age, a journeyman will oftentimes be able to take and get under the skin of..." (and don't forget to say "Dad" several times, with maximum shrillness, while hawking copious wads of spit in all directions - to capture that true Pontiac Michigan Trailerpark Vibe)

Where the fuck do you think we moved FROM, @2:55?? I lived in 39211 for over 2 decades and moved my vote north to 39110 to enjoy GREAT school districts (no private tuition costs!!) and safe neighborhoods. Damn glad I got I when we did!

@4:34, good. Cause you are a waste of space that welfare wouldn't have room for. And 3:13 is spot-on. Trust-fund kids, 40-60 y.o.s are the ONLY reason Eastover is still (kind of) Eastover. And as soon as you idiots blow the principle cause you don't know shit from shinola. ...c ya and Lamumba moves in...oh, wait. Too late. My bad.

Madison still has room for any 39110's that are/have exhausted the trust fund. Only thing is, the schools REQUIRE you to actually be a parent. I.e. you might have to cut back on the tennis/yoga/golf sex (I mean sessions!) and actually be a parent.

An aside...our tap water is SUPERB (filter? what filter??) and garbage collection is most excellent (thank you Mayor Mary!...now, just fix the traffic light synchronizations!!). Continually amazed of how many former JP, JA, and MRA alumni are EMBRACING public education and services up in Madison due to our public servants and infrastructure. And no...I'm not an elected official of any stripe.

Derek probably got reduced rent for 2 years, $$ to improve property, and other benefits for his venture. He’s done it before and this will work well. Good for him and his family.

@12:12 - what are you talking about? Madison has maybe one and a half decent restaurants and offers almost nothing in terms of quality of life outside of the schools. We have to travel to Ridgeland, Flowood, Jackson, and Brandon to play sports, eat decent food and have a glass of wine. Developers don't want to deal with Mary because its not worth it. Madison is quite literally the worst.

12:12, correct. I believe most of the traffic light synchro problems in Madison/Ridgeland are with those mainly on Hwy 51 which are probably controlled by MDOT instead of the local traffic departments. But many of us share those frustrations... certainly wish someone cared to adjust them.

Madison is the epitome of what a "bedroom" community should be... people love the comfort it provides. Enjoy your 'whine'.

As someone not very familiar with Jackson, I’d like to know how people in the northeast part of the city insulate themselves from the problems in the rest of the city,

Never ate there. But if the fare was as disappointing to eat as any of Eudora’s books were to read, I fully understand the how and why.

In the last year or so, dozens of new restaurants have opened in Madison including Keifers (which is great because the service at the Belhaven location is abysmal). A friend of mine ate at The Foxtail last night and reported it was excellent. Tuk Tuk Boom is going to put a location in Madison. There is no shortage of great restaurants in Madison.

@9:57 AM - Oh man I am so glad I am not the only person who finds Eudora Welty’s books to be overrated and disappointing. Maybe her fanbase is just all unmarried spinsters and feminazi’s which I am not.

I think the core problem is that Jackson is simply not safe after dark. I can't risk my life for a decent meal. And I don't see Hohrn as much of an improvement..

11:56 and the rest of you who haven't a clue what you're talking about, it's ok to scroll and not comment! Walker's will remain where it is with a new owner/operator who is a current employee. Same menu. Most people will not even know the difference.

Lived in Madison for over 30 years, but had to move to Jackson to get away from the crime as someone stole my 4-wheeler trailer out of my driveway. Now live in Eastover, have been a member of RHC since its' inception and enjoy the convenience of the location to most anything North, South, east or West. Our neighborhood is gated as is any neighborhood worth living in within Ridgeland or Madison. We have never felt nervous or afraid of living here. This "back and forth" on this thread is hilarious. Folks, get a life.

Yeah, I now get to live in Eastover where I couldn't afford it 20-30 years ago but now the housing is so darn affordable I can enjoy it here now... trailers and all.

Derek Emerson must have unlimited line of credit at the bank…..geesh!

you know i opened a lunch place in jackson 42 years ago , i've seen at least 4 dozen places open and close within 2 years, allways a lot of press on how they were the next big thing before they served there first meal , it seems having your pic taking a lot with articles sayin how you are about to take the bull by the horns could also be the kiss of death . ...if i had a dime for every guy who opened there first unit saying it would be a chain just to close in less than 2 years i would have a $1.60 . it's a tuff buis , i guess i'm saying if you work hard and give a damn thats better then all the press in the world , worked for me and a couple of guys around town i know ............be a worker not an owner , you can't lose.

Cause they are broke. They can’t afford to pay for JA or any other private school. I think it’s great Madison is making quality public schools and soon they will be 50-50 black and white with some Asians and Hispanics….then let’s see how Madison reacts 🤭

Glad you were able to get away from that terrible Madison community. Did your new neighbors greet you in Eastover:
https://neshobademocrat.com/stories/eastover-man-busted-with-drugs-gun,160777

The epitome of folly is Madison County parents hauling their kiddies all the way back to JA and JP for schooling.

Exactly 1:11pm! It's hilarious that Madisonites are so afraid of the mean streets of Jackson that they are willing to send their children to JA or Jackson Prep daily with the chance that their children could be car-jacked or kidnapped for ransom by people they run down on this site. It simply doesn't make sense and makes one wonder about the "IQ" of the parents involved...IF they truly believe what they have been spouting for years. Hmmmmm.....

I live in Flowood and I loved Sophomore Spanish Club and the Gold Coast Bar in Cultivation.
But everytime I suggested Eudoras (having never been before) my friends who had eaten there all refused.
I also have not been to Walkers in many years because of parking and feeling unsafe but I used to love it. I hope the new concept does well, and I will try it but I dont have much hope for anything lasting there. It really does seem to be an impossible location.