Welcome to Chateau de Bayou Restaurant

We have watched, waited, speculated, and drooled during the construction period and re-birth of one of the finest buildings ever built in the south Lafourche area. Originally constructed over 50 years ago, the "Dufrene House" has piqued the curiosity of visitors and locals alike.

Now, after the conversion of a beautiful residence to an even more beautiful restaurant, the Chateau de Bayou will open its grand double doors to a limited number of customers as the staff slowly but efficiently strives to make everyone's dining experience a "pleasant one".

During the past several days, small groups of family and friends have been invited to the restaurant to have a delicious meal while assisting in the training program for the wait staff, cooks, and other personnel who will be interacting with the public. "We're more interested in quality service than we are in packing as many people as we can in the place," said Mark Pregeant, owner. "The public may see some empty tables during the first few weeks as we all go through this learning process. We have a computer system that has a red light go off if a customer has to wait too long for his meal."

Mark Pregeant became one of the minority owners of the family owned business, Grand Isle Shipyard, after the majority of the business was sold 24 months ago. He has a work background of oilfield services, contract labor, construction, and fabrication. When asked what made him interested in building a restaurant, he said, "My wife, Bethany and I, have always loved the Dufrene House. When it came up for sale, we looked at it as a house to live in but the numbers made it more practical to build a new home than to remodel this one."

"Although there are some good restaurants on the bayou and the food is delicious, a place with a pleasant atmosphere where business men and women could meet, talk, and enjoy a good meal was missing. I decided if I wanted such a place, I would have to build it myself. Then I thought, the Dufrene House would make an ideal restaurant. After discussing the idea with my lead carpenter, Toby Plaisance, I decided to buy the place," added Mark.

Mark called this reconstruction project reverse engineering. He had the vision of what he wanted but needed the Mouton and Long Engineering firm to do the plans in order to get permits, as well as State Fire Marshall and Board of Health approval. For the most part, Mark and Toby designed the inside and Mark's father-in-law, Elmo Robichaux, supervised the work outside.

One thing important to Mark was to spend his money locally. About 75% of the work on the restaurant was done by local craftsmen and contractors.

After the work began, Mark and Bethany had a little contest to name the new restaurant. It was decided the winner would get a free meal. There were two winners - Brian Pregeant, Mark's cousin, and Tony Cheramie, his daughter Alexis's friend, who is a senior at South Lafourche High School.

Mark wanted his wife, Bethany, to have input into decorating the restaurant. She suggested a saltwater aquarium near the entrance. Mark and Toby sort of dismissed the idea but Bethany was persistent. She got her aquarium, a 550 gallon one with live choral and beautiful tropical fish. Mark now reluctantly admits it's probably the biggest attraction in the restaurant.

Now its time to dispel some of the rumors on the street about the Chateau de Bayou:
1. A coat and tie is certainly not required. But, after seeing the place, you may want to trade the blue jeans for some Dockers.
2. Although it looks like an expensive restaurant, it is not. Compare the prices to a place like Copeland's in Houma or Houston's in New Orleans. The most expensive steak is $30 and there are sandwiches and po-boys for $8 or less. Lunch entrees are priced at $12 to $15. You can get a cup of chicken and sausage gumbo for four bucks. Mark Pregeant said he took ideas from many restaurants he visited across the country always with the idea of having the finest dining experience that can be afforded and enjoyed by everyone on the bayou and on Grand Isle.
3. The restaurant will accept private parties, company meetings and family celebrations. The courtyard can be rented out as can be the two private dining rooms, and the larger dining area and back courtyard is available for big parties.
4. There will not be valet parking. There is a covered drop off area in front of the restaurant.
5. The restaurant has a state-of-the-art computer system. Walk-ins are welcome but if you have a computer it's easy to go to the website (chateaudebayou.com) and click on "open table". There you can pick a table, time, and make a reservation. One of the important things Mark wanted the public to know is that even though there has been a lot of re-construction and decorating in the Dufrene House, they tried to leave as much of the original items in the restaurant as possible.

"This home was far ahead of its time," Mark said. "We wanted the public to see and appreciate some of the original work in the home." For instance, the ceiling work in the bar is original; the two fireplaces remain and the staircase ceiling design is intact. The private dining rooms are named the Rose Room and the Paul Room in honor of the original owners. The wrought iron in the courtyard came from the house and front door handles and bronze knobs did also. About 90% of the solid core doors were re-used with the top panels being replaced with bamboo glass. The contractors kept as much as they could out of respect and admiration of the Dufrene family. Please know the decorating inside the restaurant is not quite 100% complete. There are also some plans to put a large antique bronze fountain in the back yard with a waterfall. The small residence next door has been purchased for future expansion.

Mark Pregeant says his goal was to provide first class dining at a moderate price for everyone to enjoy. From what I've seen, he has accomplished that and more. He certainly has provided south Lafourche something else to be proud of. I hope everyone will check it out.

The Chateau de Bayou will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner with a brunch on Sunday.

The hours are Monday thru Thursday 10:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 10:30 to 11:00; and Sunday 10:00 to 8:00.

Hours are Monday "CLOSED"; Tuesday thru Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.(Bar 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.); Friday 11:00 to 10:00 (Bar 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.); Saturday 5:00 p.m.to 10:00 p.m. (Bar 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) and Sunday 10:00 to 2:00 (Bar 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.)