Chef Lindsey McLellan spent nearly a decade overseeing the kitchen at Lola’s, churning out pans of paella to customers willing to “suffer” hour-long waits spent sipping sangria. Then one day in 2014, she was walking her daughters down Napoleon Avenue near Fontainebleau Drive and noticed a “For Lease” sign in a window. Thus began one of the very few tales of restaurateur epiphany that involves a former Time Saver location.

Although she'd spent the vast majority of her time in New Orleans co...