Zea Rotisserie & Bar is packing up its longtime spot inside Clearview Mall, with plans to temporarily close the dining room as the restaurant shifts into a newly built standalone space at Clearview City Center. The Metairie upgrade will feature a larger bar, an outdoor patio and an open kitchen wrapped around a showpiece rotisserie, all part of a broader effort to modernize the brand. To staff the new restaurant, Zea is rolling out job fairs on June 18 and June 24.
On May 26, New Orleans CityBusiness reported that Zea is trading its interior mall storefront for an outparcel location at Clearview City Center. Taste Buds Management CEO Paul Hutson described the move as part of the "continued evolution of the Zea brand" that still keeps the restaurant rooted in the Metairie neighborhood, according to New Orleans CityBusiness. The company has not pinned down an exact reopening date and said more operating details will be released in the coming weeks.
Design and dining upgrades
In an August 12, 2025 press release, Taste Buds Management said the new build will spotlight an "open kitchen with a signature central rotisserie," give the bar more room and energy, and add roughly a 1,000-square-foot outdoor patio for dining and entertainment. The company cast the project as a future anchor of Clearview City Center’s shift toward a walkable, mixed-use destination and shared interior renderings that preview the refreshed look.
Where this fits in the Clearview rebuild
Developers and local reporting say Zea’s relocation is a key domino in the larger Clearview revamp, clearing the way for partial demolition of older mall structures and speeding up a multi-year redevelopment that folds in new retail, apartments and medical tenants. That construction sequence was laid out when Clearview City Center broke ground on the project last year, according to Biz New Orleans.
Hiring and timeline
As reported by New Orleans CityBusiness, Zea plans job fairs on June 18 and June 24 to fill both front- and back-of-house positions at the Metairie restaurant. The company is steering applicants to its website at Zea's hiring page, and it has yet to announce an official opening date for the new space.
Founded in 1997 by the chef trio known as the Taste Buds, Zea has since expanded across Louisiana and into Mississippi, according to Taste Buds Management. While the Clearview storefront goes dark during the relocation, the company notes that other nearby Zea locations remain open and that it will share updated hours and event details ahead of the Metairie reopening.
