Another staple in Brentwood Bay's restaurant community is closing its doors on Dec. 21.
Blue's Bayou Cafe will be shutting down the kitchen that has turned out its signature jambalaya, gumbo and Cajun-creole fare in the marina for almost 26 years.
Owner Blue Benoit tells Peninsula News Review the decision to close the restaurant happened two years ago.
"After being actively behind the operations, wearing both the manager and chef hats, we thought it's time to do something a little easier and enjoy life a bit more," Benoit said. "We had some health scares too, so it gave me a big wake-up call to stop working 15 hours a day."
The Brentwood Bay restaurant owners have already sold the place three weeks ago to some people who wanted to keep the same concept. The new lease would have been good for three years, but the owner of the marina had a change of heart.
Blue's Bayou Cafe's lease is up on Dec. 31, but it will be business as usual until Dec. 21, which gives them 10 days to liquidate everything and clear out of the restaurant.
It's a bittersweet ending to something they worked so hard for since they were teenagers. The Benoits are grateful for the community's support through the years and they're closing the restaurant holding on to all the good memories they shared since they started.
"We opened this place with only $5,000 – money we borrowed. It's pretty amazing. You try doing that nowadays; gotta be pretty proud, right?" he said.
