The pandemic is shuttering K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen, the New Orleans restaurant that has been a dining destination in the French Quarter since 1979.

The eatery, founded by Paul Prudhomme and his wife over 40 years ago, is closing its kitchen permanently after suffering under the weight of restrictions placed on restaurants — especially those in areas frequented by tourists — in the wake of COVID-19.

In a report from WWL-TV, the late Paul’s niece, Brenda Prudhomme, cited “mandated business restrictions” and added “We have been blessed and honored to serve our customers who have become family through shared stories, breaking bread with jalapeno cheddar yeast rolls and raised martini glasses. We will also treasure the memories of all of our amazing staff members over the years, knowing that they will carry a piece of K-Paul’s with them for the rest of their careers.”

A 1985 New York Times feature on Mr. Prudhomme titled “New Orleans Chef Takes on New York” said of the chef — who died in 2015 — “Mr. Prudhomme, the larger-than-life owner and chef of K-Paul’s in New Orleans, had come to town to give this city a taste of the spicy Cajun cooking that has made his Crescent City restaurant famous: blackened redfish, Cajun jambalaya and shrimp remoulade, finished off with incredibly rich sweet-potato pecan pie or bread pudding.”

In a 2011 piece published in OffBeat, Preservation Hall’s Ben Jaffe said “A place like K-Paul’s becomes a staple in your diet. You could’ve found my dad eating here three to five nights a week. You really have to come here for dinner to get the full K-Paul’s experience. One of their trademarks is their bread basket, which they only serve for dinner. These jalapeño corn muffins are unbelievable.”

The building housing K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen will go up for sale and the restaurant name will reportedly be retired.