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• Happy birthday to the Crescent City Connection's second bridge, which was dedicated on this day in 1988. Go deeper.

🎧 Sounds like: "Batter Up" by Nelly, Murphy Lee and Ali.

Today's newsletter is 776 words — a 3-minute read.

When the first Fried Chicken Festival opened its gates, founder Cleveland Spears found himself "hoping and praying 10,000 people would show up."

Why it matters: The event blew his goal out of the park — but the fest's plans for its 10th birthday bash got pushed by a week with weather forecasters anticipating severe storms over the weekend.

The big picture: Over the past decade, the National Fried Chicken Festival shifted from a single day in Lafayette Square Park to a three-day weekend at the New Orleans Lakefront Festival Grounds.

• And this year's edition is supercharged by the fest's biggest music lineup yet.

The latest: The festival, originally scheduled to begin Friday, will now start Oct. 9, according to a Facebook post.

Zoom in: In addition to more than two dozen participating restaurants, the event added a full slate of national headlining acts to this year's schedule.

• This year's lineup includes Nelly, Dillon Francis, 2 Chainz, Keri Hilson, the Ying Yang Twins, Webbie and A-Trak, plus a performance by Big Freedia with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

What he's saying: "After the first one in 2016, the public response was so overwhelming, that's where we thought it could be a large, multi-day festival," Spears told us prior to the announced delay.

• The goal, Spears added, is for the National Fried Chicken Festival to be an annual fall destination for visitors from across the country. "That's the journey we're on," he says.

The intrigue: The late change is an obvious wrench in that plan.

What's next: Any tickets purchased for the original dates will be honored next week, organizers say.

• Ticket buyers who can no longer attend should email [email protected], the post says.

Louisiana has some of the lowest tippers in the country, according to Toast's latest tipping trends report.

Why it matters: So-called "tip fatigue" is fueling a broader rethink of tipping culture, even as average tips haven't changed much over the past two years.

By the numbers: Nationwide, diners tipped roughly 19% on average across all restaurant types in Q2 2026 — essentially the same as in Q1, per Toast's latest tipping trends report.

• Tips at full-service restaurants also held steady around 19%, while fast food tips remained near 16%.
• Takeout tips hovered around 14%.

Zoom in: Delaware, West Virginia and New Hampshire are still home to America's top tippers, with diners leaving around 21% on average.

• In last place for overall tipping are California, Washington, D.C., and Washington state, where averages run under 18%.
• Louisiana averaged a little better at 18.5%. That's slightly less than last year.

Between the lines: Cash tips aren't included. The data also only reflects restaurants using the Toast platform.

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Louisiana's coastal restoration efforts from 1984 to 2025 built or saved about 153 square miles of land, according to new research cited by The Times-Picayune.

Why it matters: It shows the state's mitigation efforts are working, even if the rate of land loss is only getting faster.

The big picture: U.S. Geological Survey researchers recently offered Louisiana officials a look at new data outlining impacts from more than 500 projects across the 40-year stretch, The Times-Picayune's Mike Smith reports.

• Altogether, the projects reduced land loss during that period by about a quarter.

Yes, but: Louisiana still lost around one football field's worth of land every 84 minutes, Smith reports.

What we're watching: A lot of Louisiana's coastal restoration projects have been funded by BP oil spill-related money, but that runs out in 2032.

• And it's not yet clear what will replace it.

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Meet Axios Social Club: a dinner night designed to help you discover new people — and a new favorite local spot.

How it works: Answer a few questions, book your seat and we'll match you with five readers we think you'll click with.

The catch: We're keeping the details under wraps. Your restaurant and tablemates are revealed the day of the event.

• After dinner, meet up with the rest of the Social Club at a surprise afterparty.

If you go: Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 6:30pm Uptown.

• Tickets are $15.99 per person.
• Food and drinks are purchased separately.

👉 Save your mystery seat.

🎤 Carlie stayed up too late doing karaoke with her fellow Axios reporters.

🍣 Chelsea hopes to try One Flew South before leaving Atlanta today.

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Thanks to our editor Jen Burkett.