SULPHUR — After nearly 23 years of service, a Sulphur mainstay has closed down — making way for another Sulphur staple to move in.

Since Cajun Charlie’s closed in September, Kevin Downs has been renovating the Ruth Street building to open a second Sausage Link location.

Cajun Charlie’s, which served largely Cajun cuisine, opened in October 1988. The restaurant drew more traffic from the interstate than it did from surrounding areas, owner Clint Charlie said.

“We had a few local people but the rest was traffic and people coming to the casinos,” Charlie said. “People stopping off at the restaurant would say, this is a museum (because of the wall murals).”

Charlie said business never picked up again after Hurricane Rita.

“We had a great time; we sure miss it,” Charlie said. “We had such good customers.”

The building’s proximity to Interstate 10 drew Downs’ interest. He said he hopes the new location will open by February 2012.

He, like Charlie, is hoping to draw just as much traffic from travelers as local customers.

Downs said his new restaurant will feature a gift shop, an old country store and a specialty meat market — meat processing will be done behind a large window so that people can see boudin and sausage being made. Boudin will also be sold frozen to be shipped — a common request throughout the years, Downs said.

“This is a nice old building and I didn’t want to see it go to waste,” Downs said. “It worked out and we’re making it something that will be really nice.”

The new Sausage Link will feature similar foods to the original location, but will have a wait staff, a seafood buffet on Friday and Saturday nights and a 75-person banquet room, Downs said.

“It will be a little more upper end, but it will still be a Cajun-style restaurant,” Downs said.

Although Charlie said he personally wouldn’t open a restaurant in the current economy, he said he thinks Downs has good “food sense” and wished him success.

Downs had a message to is loyal customers on the other side of town — he has no plans to close the original location, which has been in operation for 10 years.

“I don’t think we’ll pull that much (business) from that side,” Downs said.

The former location of Cajun Charlie’s Seafood restaurant at 202 Henning Drive in Sulphur will soon be the home of the Sausage Link. (KAREN WINK / AMERICAN PRESS)

K Wink