1682 French Louisiana (formerly Cranky’s)
March 18, By Christian Murray
The owner of a one-time Vernon Blvd coffee shop has transformed her establishment into a New Orleans restaurant.
Last month, Cranky’s Café, which was established in 2009 at 48-19 Vernon Blvd, was renamed “1682 French Louisiana,” with a focus on creating a New Orleans vibe and offering Cajun food .
The name–1682–represents the year when the French claimed Louisiana.
The owner of the restaurant, Mina Jons, who is from Paris, said that when she opened Cranky’s 4 ½ years ago her goal was to establish a coffee shop that was essentially “an extension of your living room—with games, movies and wifi.”
Initially, the cafe served coffee, salads, panini, sandwiches and pastries. Over time, however, the establishment started to take on more of a French/New Orleans flavor and started to offer a comprehensive breakfast and brunch menu.
Jons said that as her cafe’s cuisine grew in popularity, Cranky’s was slowly beginning to morph into a restaurant. This prompted her to get a wine and beer license.
The establishment quickly developed a casual New Orleans feel to it, and Jons said she began offering a greater mix of Cajun and local food specials. Such items included: seafood gumbo soup, shrimp and andouille jambalaya, and blacken Cajun tilapia.
“We were doing a great day time business, but with the name Cranky’s some people didn’t think of us as a dinner venue,” Jons said.
The decision, she said, was made at the beginning of the year to change the name for that reason. So far, she has no regrets.
