In 1937, Clarence Soileau opened his first restaurant in Opelousas serving mainly bar-be-que chicken dinners ~ half of a chicken with trimmings for 35 cents. Even then, the popular “bar-be-que stand” was known as Soileau’s Dinner Club.
In
1942, the restaurant temporarily closed due to the war. The Soileaus moved
to New Orleans where Clarence was stationed in the ship yard. The restaurant
reopened in 1946 at which time Clarence took on a partner, his brother-in-law,
Clifton Veillon, Sr. The restaurant was rebuilt to serve a larger capacity
and the menu also expanded to include seafood, steaks, and other specialties.
In 1962, the restaurant was gutted by fire and the extent of the damage forced Clarence and Cliff to rebuild at a new location but it still remained on Main Street in St. Landry Parish, which is presently the family restaurant’s location.
In 1979, Clarence’s son, Scott Soileau, became part of the business operation along with Cliff's son, Clifton Veillon, Jr. The two sons carried on the family tradition after Clarence and Cliff retired.
In July 2001, the partnership was mutually dissolved and the Soileaus retained sole ownership. Scott Soileau and his wife, Beth, now in their 40th year maintains and operates the well- known family restaurant 7 days.