A Surprising Number of Restaurants Close For July 4 Weekend

It's a holiday weekend and some restaurants in New Orleans, strangely enough, appear to be taking an early summer vacation. Here are the restaurants that Eater can confirm are currently closed or closing for the holiday.

Walk-On's: Closed now until July 6

Domenica: Closed now until July 6

Little Gem Saloon: Closed now until July 7

Ba Chi Canteen: Closed now until July 4

Bayona: Closing July 4-July 8

Galatoire's: Closing July 4 to July 11

Adolfo's: Closed now until July 5

There's speculation on Twitter as to why three of these closures are taking place this weekend. Walk-On's, Little Gem and Domenica are in an area that will see heavy foot traffic for this weekend's Essence Fest (July 1-3)— the largest annual event in the country centered around all things African-American culture and heritage— which has prompted allegations of the restaurants being #closedforessence.

Besides WalkOns, what other businesses are #closedforessence? Let us know and we'll tweet 'em out.

— MaCCNO (@musicculture504) June 30, 2016

If you see any 'temporarily closed' or paper 'mandatory tip included' signs in windows today, send them our way. #closedforessence

— MaCCNO (@musicculture504) July 1, 2016

I think this is the year that #closedforessence becomes a widely discussed thing.

— Kevin Allman (@KevinAllman) June 30, 2016

@musicculture504 Strip clubs: Penthouse, Rick's Cabaret, Rick's Saloon #closedforEssence

— Jules Bentley (@julesbentley) June 30, 2016

A likely story, Blockbuster. #ClosedForEssence pic.twitter.com/L1fnAeIUFS

— Dan Clothingstore (@polksalad) July 1, 2016

Walk-On's stands by its decision to close due to a plumbing situation:

@jonaschartock plumbing back-up led to raw sewage under our floors. Ripping them up and sanitizing. Sad to miss our first Essence in 5 years

— Walk-On's (@walk_ons) July 1, 2016

Eater reached out to Domenica, which has been closed for major renovations since Monday. The reason? A spokesperson explains that this happens to be its slowest time of year fiscally, which made sense for doing a large scale renovation project. Little Gem is reportedly on summer vacation, as are a number of other restaurants.

Know of another spot closing for the holiday weekend? Leave a comment or send a tip.

Take your grilling beyond the basics this weekend