Some restaurants have been in the Teche Area so long that the idea of them no longer being there seems unthinkable.

The Yellow Bowl Restaurant in Jeanerette is one of those community icons, so when news of its closing came out it sent shockwaves through the area.

The Cajun restaurant was open Thursday with a steady stream of customers Thursday. Yellow Bowl owner Amy Louviere, who has operated the restaurant for about a year, said that staff are hoping to make Sunday their last day, but supplies could possibly run out before then.

“If we had more days like today then we could stay open,” Louviere said.

The closure of the restaurant located on Louisiana 182 between Jeanerette and Baldwin has been in business for decades with a long list of owners.

Louviere said the reason for the closure has been overwhelming repairs needed for the old building, along with increases in insurance, food prices and labor shortages all contributed to the final decision.

Louviere, a Carencro native, said she decided to run The Yellow Bowl in May of 2022. Her mother is a Baldwin native and Louviere said she remembers making trips to The Yellow Bowl when she was a child.

“My parents were even married here in 1947, so I have a connection and I thought, ‘Why not?’” she said.

The staff at the Cajun restaurant said they shared similar fond memories of the business. Kristine Ghent, a server who has been employed for The Yellow Bowl for more than seven years, said the community have been “heartbroken” at the unfortunate news.

“It’s very disheartening,” Ghent said. “Some have been coming here since they were young with their parents or grandparents. A lot of people would come here when they traveled from Houma to Lafayette and make this a stop.”

Brittany Landry, a staff member who has worked at The Yellow Bowl for 17 years, agreed with Ghent.

“They’re heartbroken, I think we’re heartbroken too,” she said. “There’s nothing that can be done.”