"We Have Powdered Sugar In Our Warehouse On Standby": This Is How New Orleans' Cafe Du Monde Is Preparing To Serve 100,000+ Hungry Football Fans
Over 100,000 visitors are expected to flood New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX this year, giving local businesses a major tourism boost just before Mardi Gras in early March. Among them is the iconic French Quarter institution, Cafe Du Monde, a place that has perfected the art of selling chicory coffee and beignets by the thousands to locals and visitors alike.
Beignets, if you didn’t already know, are deep-fried, doughnut-like pastries served piping hot and absolutely drenched in powdered sugar. This beloved Creole treat is a staple of New Orleans' culinary tradition — you might even recognize them from their delicious cameo in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog (2009). Today, Cafe Du Monde continues to keep beignets at the heart of the French Quarter’s food scene.
To understand how a legendary New Orleans business prepares for such a high-profile event, we spoke to Burt Benrud, the Vice President of Cafe Du Monde, who oversees operations at the historic café.
"We're definitely very excited to have the Super Bowl back in New Orleans," Benrud told Tasty. "You know, we've been here on all the previous iterations." He recalled the last time the big game occurred in his city in 2013, calling it "a very special, special Super Bowl."
That 2013 showdown was especially memorable because the opposing head coaches, Jim and John Harbaugh, were also brothers, adding additional intensity to an already monumental game. It was also the year Beyoncé gave the halftime show performance of a lifetime.
Despite the pressure of coaching arguably the biggest game of his career, Jim Harbaugh still made time to indulge in a New Orleans tradition: stopping by Cafe Du Monde for beignets with his family.
12 years later, the Super Bowl is back in NOLA, and according to Benrud, "The NFL has taken it to another level." What was once a Super Bowl weekend has now expanded into a week-long spectacle. Events hosted by major names and organizations like Shaquille O’Neal, Post Malone, and GLAAD are drawing fans into the city days before kickoff. Benrud remarked on the "very interesting development" that the sporting event festivities have grown to include "more regular people" beyond ticketholders and VIPs.
With more visitors expected to be in town on Super Bowl weekend than Caesars Superdome can even hold (its capacity is 83,000), Cafe Du Monde is bracing for a whirlwind. But how does the team handle the frenzy of hungry customers and celebrity appearances? Benrud credits his seasoned staff: "Everyone knows their jobs… Our staff has been with us for a long time." Far from being overwhelmed by the crowds, they embrace the hype.
"The exciting part about coming to work at Cafe Du Monde is that you never know who you're going to run into," he said. "There's certainly going to be a diverse number of people coming to the shop, and you get to see everybody who's in town."
Among the thousands of football fans this weekend, famous faces are practically guaranteed. Cafe Du Monde has long been a magnet for celebrities, welcoming everyone from Serena Williams to Kim Kardashian — and even Martha Stewart, who stopped by the last time New Orleans hosted the Super Bowl. "You know, I'm looking forward to her bringing Snoop in with her this time," Benrud said with a laugh.
In 2019, Amy Schumer shared a viral Instagram post indulging a pregnancy craving for Cafe Du Monde’s beignets.
With enthusiastic visitors like Schumer coming into Cafe Du Monde each day, Benrud told Tasty they make and sell so many beignets daily that they don’t even count them. "What we do count is the number of 50-pound bags of sugar," he shared. While they won’t know how many bags of sugar they’ll go through this Super Bowl weekend, Benrud is ready for anything: "We have bags of powdered sugar in our warehouse on standby."
Even more than the extra business, Benrud recognizes the lasting benefits for New Orleans itself. "[The city] improved the infrastructure in anticipation of the Super Bowl. So, it's all very exciting because those assets will still be here after the game." The upgrades, ranging from repaved streets and refurbished sidewalks to fresh murals and LED color-changing lights on the Crescent City Connection bridge, ensure the city will shine long after the final touchdown.
The city is gearing up for the big game with the same tenacity as the football players. And while no one can predict the winner before Sunday night, one thing is for sure: Cafe Du Monde will have fresh beignets and hot coffee for all fans after the Super Bowl. (You can even pick up their beignet-inspired Super Bowl 2025 merch, too.)
Found yourself suddenly in the mood for a beignet but nowhere near New Orleans? Try making your own with our home cook-approved beignet recipe — then download the free Tasty app to browse (and save) 7,500+ more.
