About Us

A Few Words

About Us

C’est Bon was opened on August 1, 1986, with a few picnic tables outside and only a few family members and close friends working here. We only served the basics… daily lunches cooked by the late MawMaw Bea, burgers, a few po-boys, french fries, and boiled crawfish.

Since then, our menu has grown, and we’ve added a dining room and a full bar. None of that would have been possible without our loyal customers. Without y’all referring us to out of towners, bringing your own family, friends, or co-workers, & y’all just continuing to come back day after day, week after week, & year after year we wouldn’t still be here.

So, thank you for your support, and we hope to see you again soon.

How I Got Here

BY ADAM DAIGLE | ADAIGLE@THEADVOCATE.COM

Ricky Istre has owned C’est Bon restaurant in the Acadia Parish town of Mermentau since it opened in 1986. Earlier this year, it was atop a list of “These 8 small town Louisiana restaurants will serve you the best meal of your life.”

I was born and raised in Mermentau, Louisiana right across town from where C’est Bon is located (1400 Railroad Ave.). My mother would cook for the entire family every single Sunday, and she was a big inspiration for the recipes we use today. I learned so much about cooking from her, and I was blessed to take up the talent of cooking after her.

I started off by managing the local gas/service station in town. When I was running it, my mother — Beatrice (Bea) Istre — worked at nearly every single restaurant in the area. When she was working at the last restaurant left in town, the owner passed away, which caused there to not be a restaurant left for any of the locals. This made us decide to open our own little drive-in restaurant just for homemade hamburgers and such. Our story began as an 8-by-16 building on wheels. Over time and as the business grew, we upgraded buildings, moved across the street and added on to become the seafood restaurant we are now.
Because of hard work and dedication, we have been blessed to have a steady business throughout the years. If I could say I learned one thing throughout the years, it would be to make sure to stay on top of everything. You can’t expect other people to run your business the way you want it run. You have to show up every single day and put in the work in order to achieve success.

We are the only restaurant in Mermentau. We are very blessed to have our regular, local customers that return week after week and have supported us throughout the years. Throughout time, we have become well-known for our boiled seafood, and we continue to pull in customers from elsewhere who make coming to C’est Bon a tradition for them any time they pass through the area. Our employees also build solid relationships with the customers that come time and time again which we are very lucky for.

Food being such a big deal in our area only adds more pressure to us as a restaurant. We are located right in Cajun country where everyone knows how good Cajun food is supposed to taste. I’ve always said, “You’re only as good as your last meal you served.” Because we’re located in such a rural area, we don’t get much tourism. Like I said, majority of customers who come to our restaurant have their expectations on how Cajun food is supposed to taste. So, we try our best to live up to them. Good food is so abundant in our area, so we are sure to be one of the best.

Earlier this year we made one of those internet lists for best small-town restaurants in Louisiana. We actually found the article through our customers. It was awesome to see that our customers were just as excited as we were about being recognized for all the hard work we put into this restaurant. We actually did get quite a bit of buzz from the article. Customers would come in saying that they read about us on a list on Facebook and they had to give us a try. It was such an honor to be put on such a list in the first place, and to have people give us a chance because of it was incredible.

A restaurant is a tough business. If someone is to open up a restaurant in a small town like Mermentau, it takes a great deal of dedication, time and sacrifice. To be successful, you have to take well to criticism and always try to produce the best product. There are good times and there are bad times in this business. Staying true to who you are and what you envision is vital. We have been blessed with some of the best employees that have stayed with us throughout the years and helped us transform C’est Bon into what it is today.