New local LRA president says Baton Rouge diners are loyal

This month, ACME Oyster House General Manager Ryan Nizzo assumes the presidency of the Baton Rouge chapter of the Louisiana Restaurant Association, and he describes the local market as robust with room to grow. Despite a schizophrenic national economy, the restaurant sector in Baton Rouge has increased substantially thanks largely to the post-Katrina population surge. “The number of restaurants here has more than doubled since 2005,” he says. “Just look at growth in places like Towne Center, the Mall of Louisiana, downtown and Perkins Rowe.” Nizzo believes that Capital City diners place a high value on family friendly spots and are particularly loyal, especially to brands that uphold Louisiana’s emblematic culture. Having a (mostly) winning football team hasn’t hurt the food scene either, Nizzo says. “It means people are coming in a lot earlier in the week to eat and get ready for the games.”

Acme was founded 102 years ago in New Orleans, and is one of the region’s most recognizable names in oysters. With six locations in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Sandestin, Fla., it is the largest consumer of Gulf Coast oysters in the U.S.

Louisiana oysters have faced a tough road since the Gulf oil spill, when a fresh water diversion project meant to cleanse coastal waters wiped out much of the state’s crop, forcing suppliers and restaurants to temporarily rely on oysters from elsewhere in the Gulf. This year, the state’s crop is on the rebound and is exhibiting impressive texture and flavor, says Nizzo. “They’re plump, full and salty this season,” he says. Moreover, there are enough of them to ensure Acme’s menu features only Louisiana specimens. Nizzo starts his day by sampling a few on the half shell at the Perkins Road restaurant before customers arrive. Like many Louisianans, he recalls his first oyster, which came unexpectedly when he was fishing with his father at Point-aux-Chenes, La. He accidently hooked a clump, which were brought on board and opened forthwith. “I ate one right then,” he says. “I was only about five or six.”