Jean Galatoire, an immigrant from a small village near Pau, France, in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains, established a "saloon on Canal Street" in 1896.

The first-floor dining room is a mix of high ceilings, slow-moving paddle fans, and mirrored opposing walls, maintaining much of the look of a mid-19th century restaurant.

[3] Until 1999, the restaurant did not accept reservations, leaving patrons to stand in long lines on the Bourbon Street sidewalk.

In December 2009, the descendants of founder Jean Galatoire, who had owned the restaurant for five generations, sold a controlling interest in the business to Destrehan businessman Todd Trosclair.

After a subsequent transaction, a majority of Trosclair's interest was sold to New Orleans businessman (and political candidate) John Georges.

Eyzaguirre had worked as a waiter at the restaurant for more than 20 years, yet was dismissed after multiple sexual harassment complaints from the staff.

[6] There were two sides to this debate; that of the elites who were very against Eyzaguirre being fired as he was a long-time worker at Galatoire's, and that of the broader public backed up by lawyers, journalists, and the former U.S. Attorney, who viewed the dismissal as a fair one.