Our Story
“Cur Non?”
Why not. It was the Marquis's answer to nearly everything — and it's the question we ask ourselves every time we plate a dish.
The Marquis
Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, was nineteen when he left France against his own king's orders to fight in the American Revolution. He became one of George Washington's most trusted generals, was made an honorary United States citizen, and spent his life on the side of "why not" when caution would have been the easier answer.
That instinct — to choose boldly rather than safely — is where our name and our motto both come from.
On The Square
When Emmett's Kitchen & Tap closed its doors on the other side of the square, Fayette lost a gathering place it had leaned on for years. Matt Buckman and Brandy Asbury, who ran Emmett's, weren't done — in December 2024 they announced something new was coming, just across the way in Eagle Plaza, the three-story building Central Methodist University had built on the square's west side.
LaFayette on the Square opened to diners on August 8, 2025, and the town showed up for it — a ribbon-cutting on August 19 drew about sixty supporters, employees, and family, and the lines haven't let up much since.
Look for the Marquis himself on the north wall of the dining room, where his portrait hangs — a nod to the man Fayette was named for back in 1823.
What We're About
Low smoke, hot fryers, and a roux that isn't rushed. Cajun and Creole technique alongside Southern bar-food favorites, a hand-cut fry, a scratch-made sauce for everything, and a bar that pours with a heavy hand. We didn't come here to play it safe.