Breakfast Favorite Surrey’s Scraps Plans for Freret Street Expansion

Surrey’s welcome plans to expand its popular brunch and breakfast offerings to a location on Freret Street near Tulane University have been scrapped, prolonging a three year vacancy at the former longtime home of Cafe Freret.

The former service station-turned restaurant at the corner of Freret and Lowerline (7329 Freret Street) underwent a massive facelift this past fall, with building owner Jody Ferchaud saying that it had become clear it needed a complete structural renovation in order to find new occupants.

Now, after the over half a million dollar project funded in part with state and federal historic tax credits, Ferchaud says Surrey’s has backed out of plans to open its third location in the space.

In addition to Surrey’s, it was announced this past summer that the building would house a family-oriented coffee shop, Cafe au Play, and the first full bakery location of New Orleans food hall favorite Empanola. The kid-friendly but stylish cafe opened in September, and husband and wife team Jimena Urrutia and Marcelo García began serving their baked empanadas in its first permanent location at 7321 Freret Street shortly after.

Surrey’s has two other locations, both on Magazine Street, in the Lower Garden District and the other Uptown. Eater has reached out to its owners for information on their decision.

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• Breakfast Favorite Surrey’s Is Expanding to Freret Street [ENOLA]
• Major Rehab of Former Cafe Freret Makes New Location for Surrey’s, Plus New Coffee Shop and Empanada Restaurant [Uptown Messenger]
• A Chill, Kid-Friendly Coffee Shop Just Popped Open Uptown [ENOLA]
• Empanola opens full bakery on Freret Street: Opening alert [NOLA.COM]