Think about the typical New Orleans bar scene: You walk in, push your way up to the bar, shout an order, and wait a few minutes while a busy, disinterested bartender mixes your drink. Well, there’s your typical bar, and then there is Coyote Ugly.
Coyote Ugly is anything but ordinary. The original Coyote Ugly Saloon was started in 1993 by a young New York bartender named Liliana Lovell. Lil Lovell earned a reputation for owning a crazy bar where the female bartenders (called Coyotes) danced on the bar, breathed fire and made friends with the patrons. By 1997, Coyote Ugly had become such a phenomenon that Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer made a film about it. Lovell has recently opened Coyote Ugly Saloons in Las Vegas and Atlanta, but now her efforts are concentrated in New Orleans.
When you walk in, you can immediately tell that Coyote Ugly is different from most bars. Hard-rock songs like Limp Bizkit’s “Nookie”, ’70s songs like “Brick House,” or the Coyote Ugly signature song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” will be playing, but don’t expect to hear the latest from Nelly. There are Coyotes dancing on the bar in jeans, cowboy boots and cowboy hats. Bras and ties line the bar wall, and there is a portrait of Hank Williams Sr. prominently displayed in front.
The New Orleans Coyotes have developed a real camaraderie with each other in the 10 months since the bar opened. Bar manager Chantel Bourgeois has been with Coyote Ugly since the beginning. “We’re a team,” she said. “We’re all equal, but each brings a certain thing to the game. We mesh together.” One girl clogs, and two even breathe fire. And they all dance on the bar.
When they’re not dancing or performing, each of the Coyotes can be spotted chatting with the bar patrons while mixing drinks. On the weekends, tourists are known to fill in wall to wall to soak up the entertainment, while locals usually show up for happy hour Monday through Friday.
You’d think that only men enjoy the bar antics, but Bourgeois gets more women telling her they had a good time than men. “The women love seeing how the Coyotes abuse men,” she said. And any woman can get up on the bar and dance whenever she feels like it, not just the Coyotes.No bar would be complete without alcohol, and even in that respect Coyote Ugly isn’t your typical bar.
There is alcohol, of course, but the Coyotes won’t make you a drink with more than two ingredients. And if you ask for one, watch out. You’ll have to take a penalty shot, which can come straight from a bottle or from one of the Coyote’s boots. If you want water, you’re more likely to end up with it all over your clothes than in your mouth. Bourgeois says, “It’s not a museum; it’s a bar. Have a drink.”
Coyote Ugly’s signature drink, “The Ugly,” is the only drink that breaks the two-ingredient rule. It has Jim Beam and even Bourgeois doesn’t know what else is in it. “It’s the only drink we serve that’s ‘foo foo.’ It is very strong and very sweet.”
Basically, “The Ugly” is to Coyote Ugly what Hurricanes are to Pat O’Brien’s.
At about noon on Fridays and Saturdays, the crowd starts pouring in and it doesn’t clear out until about 4a.m.
As Bourgeois says, “Coyote Ugly is not like a typical bar on Bourbon Street. We put on a show from the time we open to the time we close.”
The bouncer can keep the riff-raff from entering the bar, but he can’t protect the customers from what goes on inside. (Asdrubal Hernandez)
The Coyote sign shines brightly over Decatur Street. (Asdrubal Hernandez)
