Source:
Amarillo Globe-News
The Colorado-based Cajun and Creole restaurant is expected to open in mid-January at its latest location at 2401 E. Interstate 40, in Wolflin Square.
The new location of the franchise is owned by Mike Fogiel, who is also a partner at Amarillo’s Hoffbrau Steaks and owner of Ye Olde Pancake Station, according Globe-News archives.
Raymond Griffin, founder of The Lost Cajun, said Fogiel was riding his motorcycle through Pagosa Springs, Colo., when he found the restaurant. Griffin said Fogiel was particularly impressed with the food flights offered to guests, which lets customers try a little bit of everything before ordering full orders.
“That’s what really set me off on liking this concept,” Fogiel previously told the Globe-News. “It gave me that ‘wow’ factor.”
Fogiel soon after became a franchisee of the brand.
The Lost Cajun currently has franchised locations in Midland and Odessa, and another location was recently announced in Lubbock. The brand has quickly expanded in its seven years of business, Griffin said, with almost 20 locations open or in the works.
Griffin described his restaurants as family-friendly. He said when kids walk through the door, they are given Mardi Gras beads and a piece of chalk to use on the concrete floors, “releasing the beasts,” as Griffin said. Servers are trained to work around kids drawing.
“We give mom and dad a little break,” Griffin said. “It’s not the traditional restaurant where children come in and have to put their hands in their laps. They get to have fun.”
Local franchisees are also required to be involved in their communities, Griffin said.
“You get involved with that community, then that community will take ownership and call it their restaurant,” Griffin said. “We call it our cult. We have a cult following everywhere we are.”
Having good food helps that following as well, Griffin said. The Lost Cajun menu includes a variety of gumbo, po’ boys and seafood dishes. The restaurant is known for its beignets, Griffin said, which can be ordered in traditional and bite-sized. But Griffin wants customers to think of The Lost Cajun as more than just a place to eat.
“We want you to have the best experience when you come in there, every single time, to where the dining experience is more than just stuffing food in your mouth,” Griffin said.
