Archived Article By Tom Fitzmorris Originally published December , 2007 For Friday Before Christmas Galatoire's Auctions Tables For $40,000 Lunch on the Friday before Christmas at restaurants in the French Quarter, all the important dining rooms are packed. The most important, at Galatoire's, was so in demand that for years people would pay other people to stand in line, sometimes for days, so they could claim a spot when the restaurant opened. A couple of years ago, the rules changed. Galatoire's began auctioning the first seating in the downstairs dining room for the Friday before Mardi Gras (an even bigger day), and giving the money to a charity. They added a Christmas-season auction in 2006. The auction happened Monday, bringing in $40,200 in less than an hour. The auction itself was a party, with bidders snacking on shrimp remoulade, crabmeat maison, and Veuve Cliquot. The proceeds will be divided between the Children's Museum's mental health program, and Habitat for Humanity's Musician's Village. Congratulations to Galatoire's for a brilliant idea and to the successful bidders for getting their tables nailed down! © 2007 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com