Owner Eldridge Indest is hard at work renovating the rear courtyard at Preservation to allow al fresco dining in a convivial and relaxed atmosphere.

After 46 years with Bayou Companies and several years consulting on a major project for Shell Oil, Eldridge Indest said he was looking forward to being retired.

That was before his son Matt told him that Clementine’s on Main, the restaurant where he was working as a sous chef, was closing down. That served as a catalyst for Preservation, the latest culinary operation to inhabit the longtime restaurant site.

“We brainstormed a little bit, and I approached some friends I thought could be potential investors,” Eldridge Indest said. 

Preservation will draw on its established location in the heart of downtown New Iberia and the 50 years of combined experience from Matt Indest, chef Brad Berwick and bar manager Matt Lahr. 

The trio met while previously working at Antler’s in Broussard, which closed last year. According to Lahr, they had talked about doing something different and were already headed in that direction before the Clementine’s property became available.

“The three of us share a common vision,” Lahr said. “It was only a matter of time before we moved forward on it.”

As with any business, a new venture faces challenges, and the former Clementine’s location has had a spotty history since even before the downturn in the oil industry hit the Gulf Coast. 

The senior Indest began his due diligence, looking over the books of the Clementine’s business, and approaching the owners of the business’ assets and the owners of the building. After doing his assessment, he decided that taking on a new career as a restaurateur was a good move.

“I looked at the numbers, and it was well within reach,” Indest said. “The price point to get into it was good.”

From the original Clementine to Armand’s to Clementine’s on Main to its most recent short-lived incarnation as Bali, economic issues and poorly timed management decisions have made the location, though ideal on paper, a bit of a tough nut to crack.

Those previous false starts, though, gave Indest a basis for creating his own business model. Targeting the positives and negatives of those experiences helped him craft a plan that he thinks will stand up to even the current economic tides.

“I am in this for the long haul,” he said. “This is to help secure my son’s future.”

Indest identified several changes that would have to be made. The restaurant has traditionally taken up two storefronts, at 111 and 115 Main Street. Preservation will occupy 111 Main, with the other space reserved as a catering and event space.

“If we opened both sides, New Iberia just doesn’t support the volume for that kind of square footage,” Indest said. “This side, the fire marshal has rated for 55 people. Hopefully that will allow us to have the right staffing and maybe even have a waiting list.”

Limiting the number of tables, Indest said, will allow the staff to focus on the quality of the food, the level of service and, with a lower overhead from the reduction in staffing, a better price for diners.

He is also working to revamp some areas of the physical structure that customers of the previous tenant businesses have complained about. For example, the back patio of the restaurant is now gated so it is not open to traffic. 

Indest is also doing some cosmetic improvements, creating a screen to block the view of compressors and other equipment to help make the rear patio a preferred al fresco dining spot when the weather is amenable.

Because the restaurant’s restrooms are adjacent to that area, improving that space makes for a better experience all around.

“It will be a nice spot for people who are waiting for tables to have a drink,” Indest said. “And on days when the weather cooperates, it will have a nice atmosphere.”

Another aspect of the new management’s philosophy is to create handcrafted food and drinks. Lahr (his business cards identify him as the bar manager/apothecary) has a shelf behind the massive oak and mirror bar for his concoctions, a collection of experimental bitters and flavors to help create new cocktail experiences.

“We are geared in a certain direction,” Lahr said. “I hate the term mixologist, because it is so overused. I prefer to call my shelf ‘The Lab.’ That’s where I create things.”

Berwick agreed that the simple DIY approach makes for a better overall experience. 

“The big restaurant concept is a philosophy of the 80s,” Berwick said. “You had these big spaces, with huge menus. That’s not where people now want to be.”

In the now, though, Indest said he has all of his permits in place and is focused on last-minute touches and training to make the launch as smooth as possible. He hopes to be open prior to the Bayou Mardi Gras parade on Feb. 9, which will land a huge crowd of hungry and thirsty patrons on his doorstep.

“The food is going to be good,” Indest said. “I’m going to be here, so we will not have remote management. We are doing training, so the service will be there and we are limiting the menu, so the cost will be affordable. If we can hit all three of those fronts — quality, price, and service — then we have a recipe for success.”