Sweets and Stink
Good treats but dirty and smelly. Read on if you want details...
I stumbled upon Cafe Du Monde as I was in town for work. There was a musical group playing outside on the patio and I thought it would be a good idea to relax my tourism weary feet, and have a cup of coffee before I headed back to my hotel for the night. I walked on the patio where many fellow tourists were seated near the performers. Only a few moments after I sat down, a server approached me and got me acquainted with the short menu. He was very pleasant to me and recommended the beignets. I ordered a frozen coffee and an order of beignets since, according to him, that is what they are famous for. As I waited for my order, I began to really notice my surrondings. I realized that the floor was covered in napkins, straw wrappers and powdered sugar. I thought maybe the place was in such a disaray because they were obviously a busy establishment but then I noticed all of the other servers who were just sitting around having a smoke break on the back side of the patio, others checking their text messages and others seated right there on the patio amongst us customers just hanging out. I am not a restaurant manager or anything but it seems to me that anyone who is on the clock should be working and there was plenty of work to be doing i.e. sweeping, wiping down tables and chairs. And then I noticed the smell of sewage. Mind you, it was not a strong odor but unappetizing nonetheless. My server came back with my frozen cafe au lait and my beignets and I was delighted to find out that my total was not bad, I think it was about $6.35. The coffee was delicious and the beignets were heavenly. I sat for a little while and finished my treats. My server did come to check up on me again which was nice. I think that this cafe has so much potential but because it is so dirty and the staff appears lazy, it may scare away customers. I must say however, that I do have a new favorite New Orleans dessert though...beignets!