The Hummingbird Hotel & Grill documentary will depict the trajectory of the Hummingbird Grill through the decades, from its inception in 1947 as a working-class diner to the expansion of the Hummingbird Hotel and the shorter-lived Hummingbird Lounge.

This documentary brings to life the untold stories of the legendary hotel and grill from the perspectives of its owners, employees, and patrons. Filmmaker Rick Delaup interviewed more than 100 of them to uncover their best stories. This documentary weaves together memories of over five decades with interviews combined with archival film and video, and photographs.

Delaup took his camera behind the doors of the Hummingbird Grill during the last 2 days before it permanently closed in 2002. These now digitized video tapes offer an exclusive peek into a world that seemed to stand still for more than fifty years, while the owner, workers, and patrons lament its closing and question the future. Twenty years later, Delaup tracked down 17 of the people he recorded and re-interviewed them for a new retrospection.

The Hummingbird Hotel & Grill Project will reveal the first full-story of the Hummingbird, while capturing a slice of the vanishing New Orleans culture.