Coast restaurant owner says eatery was successful, but he still had to close it
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Southern Boys Po-Boy Factory closes Edgewater Mall today due to staff shortages.
- Owners cite labor scarcity and long hours despite profitable sales and demand.
- Owners considering a South Mississippi site to reduce hours and serve customers.
Today is the last day Southern Boys Po-Boy Factory is open at Edgewater Mall.
The restaurant at the food court is doing well financially and that’s not why they are closing, said Fred Lee, who opened the store in June with his wife, Tonya.
“It’s no employees. It’s no people who want to work,” he said.
“I’m from Louisiana,” he said, and when they look for staff at their Slidell location, they get six or seven applications in two weeks, he said.
In Biloxi, he sees people holding up signs and asking for money, but they don’t want to work, he said.
He and his wife were putting in 85 to 100 hours a week, Lee said, to keep the Po-Boy Factory open. They wanted to close Monday and Tuesday, but that’s not allowed by mall management, he said.
The restaurant featured New Orleans-style po-boys filled with shrimp, oysters, catfish, sausage and sliced roast beef.
Their customers are asking for another location in South Mississippi, Lee said, where they can work fewer hours while still supplying the customers their favorite sandwiches.
It’s a concept they seriously are considering, Lee said.
“Mississippi has not seen the last of us,” he said.
This story was originally published January 8, 2026 at 11:22 AM.
