Some other aspects of the Royal Orleans parking experience are less picturesque. It's frustrating when the garage really is full, or when the line of cars waiting to get in backs down the street. But boy, what a contribution that facility makes to dining in the center of the Quarter. I speak as one who used to live down there and remembers walking six or seven blocks from parking space to destination. It was enough to discourage me from leaving home.
Parking is very high up on the list of criteria people use to decide where to dine.
Indeed, if my surveys are accurate, it may even surpass food quality. Many people will not consider dining anywhere there's not easy parking. The chain restaurants, who never miss a chance to turn a public weakness into a marketing opportunity, always overbuild their parking facility. A friend once noted that when a restaurant is completely surrounded by parking lots, it's a sure sign that you don't want to eat there. But clever marketeers also work in the independent side of the business.