Rita Bernhardt
Chef & Co-Owner,
The PDR NOLA
William Barial
General Manager & Co-Owner, The PDR NOLA
Anyone who has been involved with the restaurant industry knows the amount of chaos that goes on in a professional kitchen.
Luckily, Rita Bernhardt and William Barial both love to be right in the middle of that swirling mass of bodies, high-end food and cutlery.
Bernhardt, a former line cook at Restaurant August, teamed up with Barial, who used to be a server at Dominica, in April 2014 to open The PDR NOLA, a speakeasy supper club intent on challenging traditional dining experiences.
The original Tremé location offers a prix fixe menu that changes every month and exclusive seating for 14, while the new location in the St. Roch Market caters to a much wider audience.
Bernhardt and Barial are both looking forward to opening a brick-and-mortar location soon, but right now the dynamic duo is working on expanding their already bustling business.
“We are only three months into our venture at the St. Roch Market, and already so many opportunities have come our way,” Barial says. “I’m looking forward to continued growth of our business.”
“We see ourselves in New Orleans for a while, and eventually with a brick-and-mortar,” Bernhardt says. “It’s a process, and we want to take the time to do it just right.”
