Stumptown Coffee Alum to Open ‘Modern Bodega’ in New Orleans’s Garden District

Finally, there’s a promising future for the former Zara’s Supermarket space in the Garden District, in the form of a “modern bodega” that will specialize in coffee, local and regional goods, and eventually, rotisserie meats. Uptown Messenger reports that Stumptown Coffee Roasters alum Ryan Murphy will open the Rabbit’s Foot Market and Cafe in January 2022 at 2042 Prytania St.

Most recently, Murphy worked for Stumptown Coffee, opening three cafes for the company (including the now-closed location in New Orleans’s Ace Hotel), and oversaw the roaster’s retail market — a background well-suited for his current venture. Murphy aims to eventually carry 12 to 15 different coffee roasters at the Rabbit’s Foot, he told Uptown Messenger, sourced from various parts of the country, with the goal of having the largest retail coffee selection in New Orleans.

In addition to carrying prepared food from local vendors and products made locally or regionally, Murphy says the “modern bodega” will have its own kitchen — he is a culinary school graduate and former chef, after all. He plans to serve a set menu of 10 or so sandwiches and other grab-and-go dishes, and to eventually add a rotisserie and offer whole roasted rabbits, ducks, geese, and more, meats that aren’t widely available in New Orleans. The market will have limited seating both inside and on the sidewalk, part of Murphy’s hope that the Rabbit’s Foot will serve as a community hub.

The market’s Garden District building is the former home of Zara’s Supermarket, which closed in 2014 (the original Zara’s Grocery two miles up the road on Prytania Street remains open). Renovations began in the spring, according to city permit records, and are currently ongoing. Murphy expects to open the Rabbit’s Foot Market & Cafe in January 2022, according to Uptown Messenger.

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• Rabbit’s Foot Market & Cafe, set to open on Prytania, wants to be a hub for local small businesses [UPTOWNMESSENGER]