Tana's best customers? The folks who paid $25k just to keep coming
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The table is set at Tana in Old Metairie. Photo: Chelsea Brasted/Axios
Tana's been open for nearly three years, but it became New Orleans metro's most exclusive restaurant this summer with the addition of a $25,000 members-only lounge.
Why it matters: A new membership program with eye-raising prices may have folks talking but most importantly, chef Michael Gulotta says, it's guaranteeing Tana stability at a time when that's increasingly hard to come by in the hospitality industry.
Driving the news: The large Italian restaurant was split in two to separate, upgrade and rebrand its existing lounge space as The Blue Room.
- The move leaves half of Tana available for regular walk-ins and reservations.
- Access to The Blue Room, however, comes with a hefty price tag: Members paid an initial $25,000, plus an ongoing $250 per month. When they visit, they also pay for meals and an automatic 20% gratuity, according to Blue Room co-owner Gabe Corchiani.
State of play: There are already 60 members, Corchiani says, and there's a waitlist for more.
The initial idea for The Blue Room came from a similar concept in Lafayette, says co-owner Shane Guidry.
- "When I saw there was just ... 30 or 40 of [the owner's] buddies in there, and they were just all splitting the cost, I'm like, oh man, what a great idea," Guidry says.
- He soon pitched it to Corchiani.
- "We said, 'Hell, I think we can make this work," Guidry says. "And we started making a list of our friends that we know would want to join. Before you knew, we had 20 names down in two minutes."
Between the lines: The setup affords Gulotta tons of opportunity to experiment in the kitchen because Blue Room members get daily specials that may or may not appear on the regular menu at Tana, he says.
- There's a wagyu night, an evening dedicated to stone crab claws and a sushi chef who takes over the bar once a week.
- Plus, "you know how hard it is for restaurants right now," Gulotta says. "But it's paying half my rent."
The intrigue: Some on social media have speculated about who's a member, especially with Guidry's close friendship with Gov. Jeff Landry. The group includes lawyers, doctors, hotel and restaurant owners, and folks in the oil and gas industry.
- But Landry has also visited, Guidry confirms, and so has Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto and state Sen. Cameron Henry.
- The politicians aren't members, and they're asked to pay for their own food and drinks, Guidry says.
The bottom line: While some restaurants are able to monetize big awards and others offer summer specials to make ends meet, Corchiani and Guidry just went ahead and asked their friends to help make sure their favorite restaurant sticks around.
- "People want to go somewhere that has consistent food that is consistently good, but has a menu that's able to constantly change and bring in new things to eat," Guidry says. "I don't need to go to a different restaurant every night."