New version of beloved Natchez restaurant opening downtown
Published 12:29 pm Wednesday, June 5, 2024
- Well-known Natchez restaurateur Wayne Bryant Canon and Sammy Atkins have teamed up to open The Rendezvous, their version of the beloved Natchez restaurant. (Submitted)
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NATCHEZ — Wayne Bryant Canon, who most recently was executive director and chef of The Carriage House, is opening a new restaurant — one whose name will be familiar to long-time Natchezians — The Rendezvous.
“I am a fanatic for anything nostalgic and anything Natchez,” he said. “My 14th birthday party was held at The Rendezvous. It was a place where many in Natchez went for life celebrations and to make wonderful memories.”
He plans to serve toast points with peanut butter and bring back “many of the eccentric little details that made The Rendezvous so special.”
Canon and his business partner, Sammy Atkins, hope to open The Rendezvous by July 1.
“Sammy Atkins and I have been lifelong friends and our fathers were friends dating back to the 1930s,” he said.
The style of the restaurant will be “white tablecloth fine dining, but approachable fine dining. It’s not going to be a stuffy place. It will be fun and happening. We will have live music nightly, including jazz coming from the piano in The Continental Room.”
The Rendezvous will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner on Wednesdays through Sunday nights.
Canon is keeping The Rendezvous menu under wraps for now, but he assures it will be one filled with dishes loved by Natchezians. He is also toying with the idea of offering valet parking, but that will require jumping over some hurdles with the city, he said.
“I am so looking forward to seeing my many customers again and serving them at The Rendezvous. I am so excited for them to see what we have done here,” Canon said.