Arnaud's of New Orleans to dispense Moet & Chandon champagne from vending machines

Arnaud’s Restaurant of New Orleans, serving up classic Creole cuisine since 1918, will now be dispensing champagne by vending machine.

Yes, you heard right.

Arnaud’s will be one of three places worldwide to offer a vending machine stocked with 320 mini bottles of Moët and Chandon’s Imperial Brut from April 13 to 16, 2017, at Arnaud’s French 75 Bar, 813 Bienville St. in the heart of the French Quarter.

To purchase a bottle from the vending machine, guests exchange a $20 dollar bill for a Moët-branded gold coin at the bar. The machine dispenses each bottle carefully so as to not shake the chilled champagne. Each mini bottle comes with a Moët-branded spout for guests to drink immediately and directly from the bottle. 

Arnaud’s is the first restaurant in the world to feature the state-of-the-art device. The bubbly dispenser was born in the UK two years ago (you can read more about that here) and the other two machines are displayed in Las Vegas hotels.

Arnaud’s French 75 Bar is open at 5:30 p.m. nightly. Named a James Beard Award finalist three years in a row and recognized as one of the “Top Ten Bars in America” by Esquire magazine, the French 75 Bar offers classic cocktails, such as the French 75 and New Orleans Sazerac, in an intimate setting. If you’re hungry, step next door to Arnaud's Main Dining Room or enjoy jazz in the Jazz Bistro facing Bourbon Street.

For more information, visit www.arnaudsrestaurant.com.

Cheré Dastugue Coen is a food and travel writer living in South Louisiana who is the author of several Louisiana romances under the pen name of Cherie Claire and the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.