RESTAURANT ADDS BARBECUE ON GRILL, OUTDOOR DINING

Rajun Cajun Restaurant, 24 S. Spanish, has added barbecue to the menu and has added outdoor seating.

John Dodd, owner of the restaurant, said the changes were prompted partly in hopes of enhancing the downtown dining experience and also because of the nation's economy.

Last week, the outside dining opened, with seating for 16 people, Dodd said.

"We thought people would enjoy the outside dining, especially during the cool evenings," he said. Taped music is also played outside, the enhance the atmosphere.

"We have tables with umbrellas," he said.

Dodd said he has dropped part of the Cajun line and added barbecue sandwiches and ribs to the menu.

"We are barbecuing on the premises," he said. "So the food is right off the grill."

"We figured that with the way things are with the recession people couldn't afford the high-priced seafood. Now they can come in and still get a good dinner for much less than shrimp creole or frog legs," he said.

Dodd added that the barbecue will also make quick meals more readily available.