A lot of business success stories contain familiar scenarios. They include a previous spectacular failure; everybody telling an entrepreneur they’re crazy; and an entrepreneur explaining that what might look like an overnight success was anything but.

And then there are entrepreneurs like Peter's lunch guests on this edition of Out to Lunch who both had ideas for very different businesses, went ahead and opened their doors without any drama, and were instantly successful.

Troy Bergeron spent 30 years in the music transportation business, driving tour buses for rock musicians like the late Ozzy Osbourne and transporting equipment across the country. When he quit all that and came back home to New Orleans, he was wondering what he was going to do with himself when he overheard a woman complaining there was no doggie transportation option here.

And that’s when Doggie Bus was born.

Doggie Bus is Uber for dogs.You book your dog’s ride on the Doggie Bus app; Troy shows up in his specially converted passenger van; on the app you track where your dog is, when he gets where he’s going, and when he’s on the way home.

Troy launched Doggie Bus in New Orleans in January 2024 and he’s already franchising the business to other cities.

Samantha Weiss had never lived in New Orleans. In New York City she’d put her MBA and job in financial services on hold and started pursuing a career in food. Then the Covid pandemic derailed those plans.

Samantha and her friend Kelly Jacques came up with an idea - open a bakery, in New Orleans.

30-seconds of online research will tell you, New Orleans already has 40 bakeries - twice as many per capita as your average city in the US. Nonetheless, Samantha and Kelly moved to New Orleans and in 2022 took over a space that used to be Santa Fe restaurant in the Marigny, and they opened Ayu Bakehouse.

If you live in New Orleans, you may know the rest of the story. Ayu Bakehouse was an instant  success. Since opening they’ve been featured in numerous national publications - including Vogue, The New York Post, USA Today, and Bon Appetit - which named Ayu one of the most exciting bakeries in the country - and you’ve probably either tried or heard about their King Cake which has been voted Best in New Orleans in the Times Picayune readers’ poll.

You’d have to be living under a rock these days not to be impacted by a seemingly endless onslaught of stressful developments - from international conflicts to national politics to local scandals, and even the daily war between your car and potholes. But, no matter what else is going on around us, there are at least two things that are universally bright spots in all of our lives. Puppies. And pastries.

Besides running successful businesses, Troy and Samantha are making the world a brighter and better place for humans, dogs, and Kevin the cat.

Out to Lunch was recorded live over lunch at Columns in Uptown New Orleans. You can find photos from this show by Jill Lafleur at itsneworleans.com

 

A lot of business success stories contain familiar scenarios. They include a previous spectacular failure; everybody telling an entrepreneur they&rsquo;re crazy; and an entrepreneur explaining that what might look like an overnight success was anything but.
And then there are entrepreneurs like Peter's lunch guests on this edition of Out to Lunch who both had ideas for very different businesses, went ahead and opened their doors without any drama, and were instantly successful.
Troy Bergeron spent 30 years in the music transportation business, driving tour buses for rock musicians like the late Ozzy Osbourne and transporting equipment across the country. When he quit all that and came back home to New Orleans, he was wondering what he was going to do with himself when he overheard a woman complaining there was no doggie transportation option here.
And that&rsquo;s when Doggie Bus was born.
<a href="https://thedoggiebusnola.com/">Doggie Bus is Uber for dogs</a>.You book your dog&rsquo;s ride on the Doggie Bus app; Troy shows up in his specially converted passenger van; on the app you track where your dog is, when he gets where he&rsquo;s going, and when he&rsquo;s on the way home.
Troy launched Doggie Bus in New Orleans in January 2024 and he&rsquo;s already franchising the business to other cities.
Samantha Weiss had never lived in New Orleans. In New York City she&rsquo;d put her MBA and job in financial services on hold and started pursuing a career in food. Then the Covid pandemic derailed those plans.
Samantha and her friend Kelly Jacques came up with an idea - open a bakery, in New Orleans.
30-seconds of online research will tell you, New Orleans already has 40 bakeries - twice as many per capita as your average city in the US. Nonetheless, Samantha and Kelly moved to New Orleans and in 2022 took over a space that used to be Santa Fe restaurant in the Marigny, and they opened <a href="https://www.ayubakehouse.com/">Ayu Bakehouse</a>.
If you live in New Orleans, you may know the rest of the story. Ayu Bakehouse was an instant &nbsp;success. Since opening they&rsquo;ve been featured in numerous national publications - including Vogue, The New York Post, USA Today, and <a href="https://www.bonappetit.com/story/nine-most-exciting-bakeries-2024">Bon Appetit - which named Ayu one of the most exciting bakeries in the country </a>- and you&rsquo;ve probably either tried or heard about their King Cake which has been voted Best in New Orleans in the Times Picayune readers&rsquo; poll.
You&rsquo;d have to be living under a rock these days not to be impacted by a seemingly endless onslaught of stressful developments - from international conflicts to national politics to local scandals, and even the daily war between your car and potholes. But, no matter what else is going on around us, there are at least two things that are universally bright spots in all of our lives. Puppies. And pastries.
Besides running successful businesses, Troy and Samantha are making the world a brighter and better place for humans, dogs, and Kevin the cat.
Out to Lunch was recorded live over lunch at&nbsp;<a href="https://thecolumns.com/">Columns in Uptown New Orleans</a>. You can find photos from this show by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lafleurphoto.com/">Jill Lafleur</a> at <a href="https://itsneworleans.com/2025/11/30/puppies-and-pastries/">itsneworleans.com</a>
&nbsp;

OUT TO LUNCH finds economist and Tulane finance professor Peter Ricchiuti conducting business New Orleans style: over lunch at Columns in Uptown New Olreans. In his 15th year in the host seat, Ricchiuti’s learned but uniquely NOLA informal perspective has established Out to Lunch as the voice of Crescent City business. You can also hear the show on WWNO 89.9FM.

OUT TO LUNCH finds economist and Tulane finance professor Peter Ricchiuti conducting business New Orleans style: over lunch at Columns in Uptown New Olreans. In his 15th year in the host seat, Ricchiuti&rsquo;s learned but uniquely NOLA informal perspective has established Out to Lunch as the voice of Crescent City business. You can also hear the show on WWNO 89.9FM.

Tulane finance professor Peter Ricchiuti conducting business New Orleans style: over lunch at Commander's Palace restaurant.

It's New Orleans: Out to Lunch

OUT TO LUNCH finds the country's most entertaining finance professor Peter Ricchiuti conducting business New Orleans style: over lunch. Each week Peter invites guests from the New Orleans business world to join him for a midday bite. CEO's, startups, managers, musicians, biomed needle-movers, tech success stories and entrepreneurs of all stripes put aside the elevator pitch and talking points and actually enjoy themselves. It's business, New Orleans style. 
You can also hear the show on WWNO 89.9FM.

OUT TO LUNCH finds the country's most entertaining finance professor <a href="https://freeman.tulane.edu/faculty-research/finance/peter-ricchiuti">Peter Ricchiuti </a>conducting business New Orleans style: over lunch. Each week Peter invites guests from the New Orleans business world to join him for a midday bite. CEO's, startups, managers, musicians, biomed needle-movers, tech success stories and entrepreneurs of all stripes put aside the elevator pitch and talking points and actually enjoy themselves. It's business, New Orleans style. You can also hear the show on <a href="https://www.wwno.org/show/out-to-lunch">WWNO 89.9FM</a>.

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