Local Restaurant expanding Eunice economy

One local business owner is making room for economic development.
Rocky Fontenot, owner of Rocky’s Cajun Kitchen, said that he hopes to stimulate the local economy by keeping tourism dollars in Eunice.
He said that he is expanding his business to deter tourists–who seek Cajun food and live music– from traveling to other cities for their Cajun fix.
“Eunice is supposed to be Cajun country with traditional Cajun-French music,” said Fontenot. “And no one seems to do that over here...on Friday and Saturday nights to start, we ‘re going to have live Cajun music over here from 6 to 9 p.m. with no cover charge.”
Fontenot said that the new addition to his restaurant will hold additional 140 people in the newly added 1500 square foot of the Rocky’s lounge area.
“We never really pushed the bar business,” said Fontenot. “I don’t want it to be drunks. I want it to be a family-friendly atmosphere. I’d rather it be a place to bring the grand-kids or kids and family from out of town who want to dance.”
The new addition and renovation will now make up about one-third of the entire restaurant square footage.
He said that he expects that the “crawfish months” will be his busiest time of the year.
“People would come in, from January to May, from all over the world and ask, ‘where can i get live Cajun music?’,” said Fontenot. “Lake Charles and Sulphur doesn’t even do that. The people who run the Liberty theater said that they send 15 to 20 couples to D.I.’s restaurant when the music is over at The Liberty on Saturday nights. People want to go to a place where they can listen to Cajun music and eat and have a couple of drinks. And there’s no place around here but D.I.’s.”
D.I.’s Cajun Restaurant–which has been in operation in Basile since 1986– has been a destination for tourists to the area who love Cajun music and food.
Fonetenot wants to put Rocky’s Cajun Kitchen on the tourist map for a one-stop place to sample Cajun food and music without leaving town.
“We’re investing in Eunice,” said Fontenot. “Now that LSU Football is done, hopefully people are going to start getting out on Saturday afternoons.”
Fontenot said that the new addition to Rocky’s Cajun Kitchen will be opened just in time for the new year. He said that he hopes to have live Cajun music on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Fontenot said that disc-jockey Fred Charlie– who Fontenot considers a big promoter of Cajun music– is scheduled to host the first “Cajun Jam” session when the new room opens at Rocky’s on January 8, 2014.