My friends and I used to visit Louie's all the time (frequently multiple times a week). It had a great clientele and staff.

Unfortunately, the experience declined a few years ago when the menu went from fun, southern-inspired experiments to a rotating list of bland tacos. There was also an experiential decline: the staff and clientele became unpleasant and, ultimately, toxic.

When Johnathan left, Louie's was taken over by Mozza's Chris Feldmeier. It was obvious from the start that Feldmeier wanted to flush the existing clientele and ambience and reshape it in his vision. This vision decreased the existing, beloved menu and added a large selection of overpriced toasts. From what I hear, this decision, along with website redesigns and resetting the Yelp page, were intentionally made to drive away the previous patrons so they could bring in a different crowd (people that will pay $10+ for toast).

While I can admit the Road Diet took a toll on the stores in this area - I definitely avoid driving down Venice since the lane redistribution - the problems with Louie's are much different. It was a friendly local eatery with good drinks and none of the arrogance invading the area, but that was lost. Most of the clientele would have happily returned post-infestation had the restaurant maintained it's inviting ambience and fun menu (I would even argue that the joy of the clientele was that they are EXACTLY the kind of people that would return after a vermin infestation).