Humble Beginnings in New Orleans
Located in New Orleans, a city known for its unique cuisine, Langenstein’s has become the go-to spot for food lovers since 1922. Offering customers prepared New Orleans’ delicacies, gourmet items and their everyday grocery needs, Langenstein’s is not only the oldest full service grocery store in New Orleans but also a fifth generation owned and operated family business.
“My great great-grandfather started the business in 1922,” says Trey Lanaux, fifth-generation owner and operator. “Through the years, each generation has stepped up to continue serving the New Orleans area with the best selection of seafood, meats and prepared New Orleans delicacies.”
When Michael Langenstein and his sons, George and Richard, opened Langenstein’s supermarket in the early 1920’s, their goal was to carry the best meat and seafood in New Orleans. Little did they know that their small corner grocery store would grow to become one of New Orleans’ finest food markets serving both locals and visitors alike.
Growing to Serve the City
In 1954, the grocery store outgrew the original storefront and relocated from 1300 Arabella Street, presently the home of Prytania Wine & Spirits and also run by the Lanaux family, to 1330 Arabella Street, where Langenstein’s still is today. The space was ten times the size of their previous location. The family expected to grow into the space in a few years. It took only three months.
Since its inception, Langenstein’s has always been open to customer feedback and suggestions. Due to this business model, in the 1970‘s Langenstein’s began offering prepared gourmet food using time-tested family recipes. In addition to the prepared meals, if a customer wanted a gourmet item that was not available in New Orleans, Langenstein’s would do its best to stock every request.
In 1994 with the success of the Uptown store, Langenstein’s opened a second location in Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans.
“At the time there wasn’t a grocery store on Metairie Road, and a lot of our customer base had moved from New Orleans to the suburbs. It seemed like an ideal next step,” says H.D. Lanaux Jr., fourth-generation owner and President.
Growing Into the Future
In 2015, River Ridge became home to the third and newest location of Langenstein’s. The new location anchors a new 47,000-square-foot “Langenstein’s Center” shopping center at the corner of Sauve Road and Jefferson Highway in River Ridge.
All Langenstein’s locations continue to serve the Greater New Orleans area and offer a complete line of homemade New Orleans specialties such as Crawfish Etouffee and Bisque, Seafood Gumbo, Grillades, Red Beans and Rice and countless others.
Now 95 years later, Langenstein’s is a 5th generation owned and operated business, proudly holding true to its original ideals, while still adapting to the needs and suggestions of their loyal customers.