An overnight break-in at French Toast, the popular Decatur Street brunch spot in the French Quarter, has owners and staff rattled after someone forced their way in and walked off with the cash register and several pieces of equipment. Employees later found a pair of blue jeans, a maroon shirt and a cat mask abandoned in a bathroom stall, and co-owner Cara Benson says the robbery caps off a summer already stretched thin. The New Orleans Police Department has released images of a person of interest and is asking anyone with information to contact detectives.
Police Release Photos; Owner Describes Entry
The New Orleans Police Department released photos of a person of interest and urged anyone with tips to call detectives at 504-658-6730, according to NOLA.com. Benson told the outlet the suspect got in by breaking through gates at the adjoining Hotel Provincial, then opening a locked door into the restaurant before leaving with cash and gear.
Construction Has Choked Off Foot Traffic
Owners say the burglary is the latest gut punch in an already slow summer, which local reporting links to months of excavation and chain-link fencing along Decatur Street that have scared off casual walk-ups. Reporting on the French Quarter transmission-main project and its fences details how the work has rerouted parade spillover and thinned the usual parade-day crowds that businesses depend on.
What Was Taken And Where The Card Turned Up
Owners said the thief emptied the cash register of bills, leaving only rolls of quarters and loose change, and stole the restaurant’s house debit card, an iPhone and a handheld card reader, according to NOLA.com. Benson said the card was later used at several nearby French Quarter businesses, including Verti Marte and The Orange Store, with transactions of roughly $10–$35 at each stop; the bank alerted the restaurant after an attempted fifth swipe and shut down the account. Benson also told reporters that business at French Toast has fallen about 25% this year amid the disruptions.
Closures Along Decatur Highlight Strain
The robbery comes as other Decatur Street businesses have folded in recent weeks. Local television reporting notes that Lufu NOLA and Café Sbisa have closed recently, and owners there and across the block have blamed prolonged construction for steep declines. Those closures, along with the French Toast break-in, highlight how utility work and crime concerns are combining to squeeze long-running French Quarter small businesses.
Anyone with information or footage that could help identify the person pictured is urged to contact New Orleans Police Department detectives at 504-658-6730. French Toast’s owners say they are reviewing security measures and hoping for tips that lead to an arrest so the neighborhood can get back to serving brunch without this added worry.
