A beloved restaurant in the French Quarter, Saint John, has closed its doors because the owner, Eric Cook, received a massive $40,000 bill from the power company, Entergy.
This bill shocked Cook, as he was already paying over $2,000 each month for his energy expenses.
Cook expressed his frustration, saying, “To bear that kind of financial burden? It’s impossible. It’s impossible.
We live like everyone else does.
You know, if it’s Bob’s hardware store and he makes a living selling hammers, I’m Eric’s restaurant store, and I make a living selling oysters.”
The unexpected bill came from a meter that Cook didn’t even know existed.
When he received it a few months ago, he thought it was a mistake and refused to pay.
He tried to sort things out with Entergy over the phone, but they eventually cut off the power to his restaurant.
In a Facebook post, Cook shared the news and made various claims about Entergy and the city of New Orleans.
Entergy New Orleans responded to Cook’s claims, stating, “Our goal is to work with customers to keep the power running.
However, the New Orleans City Council’s CUSTOMER BILL OF RIGHTS prevents us from disclosing specific bill information without the customer’s permission.”
They further explained, “Before disconnecting service, our team always verifies the meter reading and location.
We followed the standard procedure in this case. We are willing to restore service once we discuss a payment plan that the customer can manage.”
Cook insisted that he couldn’t afford any payment plan they proposed, especially when dealing with a $40,000 bill.
“You’re talking about $5,000 a month in bills,” he explained.
Although Saint John has closed, Cook plans to continue running his other business, Gris Gris on Magazine Street.
He also hopes for positive changes in the city, saying, “We all need people to come to visit us and see this great city and make sure it remains one of the greatest cities in the world because it is and I’ll always believe that, but let’s make some real change.”
Additionally, Cook has been working with fellow restaurant owners to help his former employees find new job opportunities.
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