Korey Thomas and his family turned a tragedy into a triumph after the effects of Hurricane Katrina destroyed the only life they had ever known. After losing their home to Hurricane Katrina, his family was desperate for a new start, and the opening of The Remnant of Nawlins gave them just that.
Just before the hurricane was about to hit New Orleans, Korey’s family was forced to relocate to Texas. After driving hours in the pouring rain, originally with the intent to stop in Houston, the Thomas family was forced to continue their drive further into the Lone Star State to College Station with the only place to stay in miles the Motel 6 on Texas Avenue.
While spending time in College Station, they fell in love with the community and ultimately put down roots and began looking for their new venture, which eventually presented itself at the gas station around the corner from their new home, which they frequently ate at.
“There was a local gas station that was directly across the street from my mother-in-law’s house,” Korey says. “The person in there wasn’t doing too good, and when they left, we decided to give our restaurant a chance and from there we just kind of took off with The Remnant.”
The Remnant of Nawlins opened its doors to the public in 2014 beginning first at the gas station before moving to its current storefront location, serving authentic cajun food that provides a glimpse into what life is like in the French Quarter. Growing up in New Orleans's Lower Ninth Ward, Korey had been around cajun food all of his life. Both his mother and mother-in-law loved to cook. When Korey first opened The Remnant, his entire family was helping to support him and the birth of his restaurant, but over the course of 2017, 2018, and 2019, his mother, mother-in-law, and father-in-law, all passed away.
“I was thinking about closing,” Korey says. “The city really got behind me. We had
opened before my mother and mother-in-law had passed. The city just rallied behind me and my family.”
With the community on his side, business took off and people came from all over to try the food. Recently, The Remnant of Nawlins had a customer who was all the way from England, says manager Felicia McKinney.
“Word of mouth about this restaurant is outrageous,” Felicia says. “We get people all the time who are from Louisiana, but it’s really cool for me to meet people who are from different parts of the country. Two weeks ago we had a whole group come in from California. It’s really awesome meeting all of these new people.”
After all he had suffered in the past ten years, Korey says he gained a new appreciation for the support that he and his family were being given.
“What I've been doing with this restaurant has been such a blessing to me and my family,” Korey says. “The people in this community gave so much to me and my family and I want to create opportunities for others as well. We’re trying to make sure that the community knows that we appreciate them. We try to make sure that our customers know that we appreciate them. With our staff, I want them to know that I appreciate them.”
Just as the people of Bryan/College Station created an environment that was loving and welcoming, Korey says he made it his goal to create an environment that mimicked the hospitality that the city of College Station had given him, as well as the culture and food of his home in New Orleans for both customers and employees.
“It feels homey,” Felicia says. “When you come to eat here, we try to be as friendly as possible. If you come in, we’re going to talk to you. Starting this restaurant gave us an opportunity to bring our food here. New Orleans wasn’t a rich city, but we’re rich in culture. Being hospitable, courteous, polite, kind, showing love is what we did. The best way to show you love was through our cooking. We got to introduce Bryan/College Station to our culture.”
The Remnant offers authentic cajun food that is usually hard to find in the great state of Texas. Some of their most popular menu items include their fish dinner, crawfish, and cajun classics like jambalaya, etouffee, and boudin balls, Felicia says. They also offer regular hamburgers, chicken tenders, chicken wings, and sausage.
“We have this one customer, Mr. Dingo,” Felicia says. “He comes everyday. He comes to see us everyday, I guess he just loves the company. Every day we expect him. He has about three things that he gets — it’s either two tender baskets, the chicken sandwich, and every now and then he’ll get a fish dinner. Usually in the morning when we first get an order and it’s one of those three things, we automatically know it’s him.”
The Remnant of Nawlins continues to thrive at their location in Bryan and is constantly working toward the goal of great customer service, delicious cajun food, and creating a restaurant environment that will keep people coming back for more. From the ruins of Hurricane Katrina, Korey and his dedicated team have built a restaurant that has become a staple to the city of Bryan/College Station.
“You come here and you’ll have a good time,” Felicia says. “You’ll have a good conversation and you’ll leave happy.”
The Remnant of Nawlins is located at 1416 Groesback Street in Bryan and is open Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, visit their Facebook Page: The Remnant of Nawlins or call (979) 218-3362.
