By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

NEW ORLEANS – Just one day after his 51st birthday, Destrehan resident and LaPlace businessman Todd Trosclair accepted a present to himself that is more than twice his age when he closed on the deal to purchase majority ownership of Galatoire’s Restaurant.

The transfer, which was officially finalized on Dec. 8, marks the first time the 105-year-old restaurant has not been solely owned by the founding family.

“I’m very excited, it has been a dream come true,” said Trosclair, who also owns and operates All Star Electric in LaPlace. “I’ve always wanted to be in the restaurant business, and now I get to try my hand at it. I don’t think I could have picked a better place to start.”

Trosclair said members of the Galatoire family, who have spent the last century serving a variety of Creole dishes from their Bourbon Street restaurant, approached him about six weeks ago with a proposition to buy into the restaurant. He explained the family and operators of the restaurant were working to pare down ownership from 32 to five. Trosclair, who purchased roughly 75 percent of the controlling stock, is now one of those five.

Trosclair, who has been in the electric business since 1985, has no prior experience in the restaurant industry. He said the challenge of taking the helm of a New Orleans institution is something he looks forward to.

“It is going to be a tremendous undertaking,” Trosclair said of the transition. “I’m learning as much as I can as quickly as I can. I go to the restaurant a lot. I have a lot of friends who go to the restaurant. It has been an unbelievable experience.”

Galatoire’s is among the longest-running fine dining restaurants in America. In 2004, it received the highest honor available to an American restaurant when it was named the country’s outstanding restaurant by the James Beard Foundation. Trosclair said he plans no major staff or menu changes.

“We want our patrons to know they will continue to experience Galatoire’s as they always have,” he said. “Our focus on tradition and quality of food and service will remain.”

In purchasing a majority ownership, Trosclair said he also takes over control of the Galatoire’s Bistro in Baton Rouge. Descendants of Jean Galatoire, the restaurant’s founder, still have partial ownership of both locations.

Although Galatoire’s now accepts reservations for its second-floor dining room, the main dining room, by far the most famous and popular, still operates on a first-come, first-served basis. Trosclair said he is not going to be an exception to that mandate.

“The first thing the family made clear during discussions was that being an owner does not exclude you from waiting in line to get served,” Trosclair said.

“They have made governors, senators and many others wait in line. I guess that is just something I’ll have to deal with. I think I can manage.”