Renovation Report: Dorignac’s receives first face-lift in 31 years

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Project Description: A complete renovation of Dorignac’s Food Center

Address:  710 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie

Architect:  Perez, APC

Contractor: F.H. Myers Construction Corp.

Space:  43,000 square feet

Cost: $4.52 million

Start date:  August 2014

Completion date:  October 2015

Dorignac’s Food Center had the same look since 1985 until its owners completed a major renovation project last October.

The project consisted of three phases.  Phase I, which was completed last summer, included parking lot renovations. It condensed the existing electrical service from three separate services to one main service and added an 800 kilowatt generator to energize the store so it can still service the community in the event of a power outage.

The next phase of the project involved freshening the façade on the building. The original brick façade was removed and replaced with storefront to allow natural light to enter the space. The façade also extended upward with a decorative metal panel structure containing a motion lighting system. This phase finished in October 2015.

The final phase of the project included a total renovation of the bakery, the addition of cooking equipment in the new café area, the installation of new flooring, display cases, and high efficiency LED blade lights throughout the store as well as expanding the floral and produce departments.

The blade lights reduced the energy usage by a third, according to the contractors. By demolishing the brick façade and installing a glass storefront, they were able to bring natural light into the store to showcase the working operations of the bakery. The café line was renovated to expand its offerings to include sushi, international foods, and soups and salads.

A major challenge was ensuring that the store continued operations as normal while the work was ongoing. Contractors worked mostly at night to renovate the entire store and upgrade its multiple electrical services into one.

They also had to install a temporary weather-tight storefront on the bakery while the permanent storefront was being installed.

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