Katie's

Although bright, shiny, and new inside and out, the heart and soul of Katies as an old-school, family operated neighborhood restaurant, still echoes the vision of Mr. Leo Leininger. Katies opened as a corner lunch restaurant in October 1984, following the rich tradition of New Orleans neighborhoods. Like so many other renowned eateries, Katies is family owned and operated. Founded by Mr. Leo Leininger in the wake of the sagging oil industry, it was his fresh start in a new career. Katies was actually the idea of Mr. Leos daughter Cathy and they named the establishment after her grandmother. Sadly, Mr. Leo passed away in 1987, yet his family continued to operate the burgeoning neighborhood favorite vigorously, with his undaunted spirit. In December 1993, the Leininger family sold Katies to the Craig family, who officially began building their legacy in January 1994. With over 20 years in the restaurant and service industry at the time, Scot Craig took the helm. The hard work and dedication of his brother David and mother, Mary, enabled Scot to expand the operation into a full-service restaurant and bar. With the boys in the kitchen, Mary became known as The Hostess with the Mostess. She kept the dining room organized and kept the customers happy, full, and returning time and again. The recipe worked; Katies enjoyed a full decade of great success and became an indelible mainstay of Mid City. The flood of business Katies enjoyed gave way to a destructive torrent in August 2005 when Hurricane Katrina washed seven feet of water through the restaurant and devastated everything. What Katrina did not remove with her wrath, looters removed with their disrespect and greed. With barely enough insurance proceeds to repair his home, which is above the restaurant, Scot feared Katies might be doomed. Unrelenting, in the four and a half years to follow, Scot Craig worked to rebuild his life and Katies. On March 1, 2010 Katies opened its doors once more. With sta