A restaurant right in the middle of all the Essence activity has received backlash on social media and is being accused of not being a team player. Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar posted signs on the doors Wednesday announcing they'd be closed for repairs and attribute it to a plumbing issue.

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The largest party of the summer is now underway -- the 22nd annual Essence Music Festival, a concert series and expo that is expected to bring along a $200 million economic impact to New Orleans.A restaurant right in the middle of all the Essence activity has received backlash on social media and is being accused of not being a team player. Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar posted signs on the doors Wednesday announcing they'd be closed for repairs and attribute it to a plumbing issue.Some believe it is questionable and blame it on the majority black crowd in town. With more than 400,000 people expected to New Orleans for the four-day festival, people questioned why any business would close its doors to customers. It has even spurred a social media hashtag, #closedforessence, but all of the restaurants we spoke to said they're closing with good reason.When Walk-On's announced it would close from June 29 to July 6 due to repairs, it set off a social media firestorm.People posted dozens of comments on the restaurant's Facebook page. Rob Lawrence said, "Call it what it is. Racist actions by a racist establishment. Point blank period. Closed for Fourth of July Weekend. Inexcusable.""I find it quite odd that your restaurant would shut down during a peak weekend in the city. The only difference with this weekend and other big weekends is that the majority of the city visitors will be African American," Malik Bartholomew said.Others like Mike Demers defended the restaurant and said, "Would you want to eat there while they have sewage sitting under the floor. Pretty sure that's a violation." "Last I checked, this is America and a business can choose to open and close when they want," David Castro said.A partner with the restaurant said the closing could not have come at a more inconvenient time for business. The restaurant posted a video showing the severe plumbing issue with raw sewage under the floors."I think that's pretty suspect that all of a sudden during that time period they decide to do some renovations or repairs when we're in town trying to enjoy ourselves," said James Smiley of Houston.With even more Downtown restaurants like Little Gem's Saloon closed for vacation and Domenica closed for renovations, some are skeptical because of past experiences of establishments closing during one of the summer's busiest tourism weekends."In the four years of coming to Essence, there have been some places (that) have been closed. There are places that the service is very slow, and then other places have welcomed us. It just depends, but I know that I'd like to spend my money at places that like to see me there," said Charisse Shirley of Houston.Even restaurants like Reginelli's question the business decision."That would never be our philosophy. We're about sharing our brand, sharing our food and sharing our love of the food," said Reginelli's manager Donnie Davidson. "For Jazz Fest, for Mardi Gras, you never really know what to expect. It's the same with Essence."A worker at Walk-on's let a WDSU camera in to show the extensive work being done and the evident smell of sewage. He said they have never closed for Essence before and added they will serve a limited menu and their sister businesses next door are still open.The owner of Little Gem's Saloon, Nick Bazan, said they closed because Essence Fest has been bad for their business, especially with nearby food vendors selling food at a fraction of the cost.As for Domenica at the Roosevelt Hotel, they closed Monday and a spokesperson said it came down to timing with contractors and just made good sense to renovate with this historically being a slower week for revenue.Mayor Mitch Landrieu also responded to our requests for comment and said in part: "As America's best host city for large scale events, we eagerly anticipate these guests and friends every year. For those establishments that planned to close for this weekend to perform renovations or provide their staff the holiday off is understandable, but a major missed opportunity. But for those that do not want to serve our visitors during Essence is absolutely outrageous and totally unacceptable."Keep up with local news, weather and current events with the WDSU app here.Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news right in your inbox. Click here to sign up!