Roussos said he got calls from people who worked for him 30 years ago and they’ve volunteered, too. He plans to have four or five former employees staffing the restaurant Saturday.

“I’ve had about a dozen people say, ‘God, I’m halfway around the world, but if I could be there I would, I’d help,’ ” Roussos said.

Kopp, the grandson of the former Monroe Street grocer, said helping Roussos open Saturday “had to happen.”

“I felt really bad for him,” Kopp said Friday. “He went from being really pumped up Sunday when I talked to him, to pretty bad last night when I talked to him.”

The only way Kopp could help Roussos was to close his own place Saturday because he’s short staffed on Monroe Street.

Kopp said he’ll likely keep his New Orleans Take-Out location open until the end of the year and then figure out his next move. He intends to keep the restaurant, but possibly change its name and concept.

“I’ve done this a long time and I’ve had ideas on doing something a little different,” he said.