Foodie Passport Feature: Lou Lou's Seafood
Contributed Photo
Lou Lou’s Seafood in Lexington opened in the middle of the pandemic but recently celebrated its first anniversary and has launched an expanded menu.
While 60 percent of all new restaurants fail within the first year of operation, Lou Lou’s Seafood has defied those odds and prospered.
Owners Nailah and Josh Curry said their first year in business hasn’t been easy but a little luck — they decided before the pandemic hit to gear their business to takeout — and a lot of hard work have kept them afloat when many restaurants have shuttered.
This seafood stew is in high demand!
The married couple said the pandemic did throw a wrench into their original plan to open in April 2020. They had signed a lease for the building at 514 N. Main St. (across from Speedway gas station) in February 2020, a mere month before lockdowns were instituted! Once things closed down and contractors were hard to find and building permits took a long time to obtain, the couple began some minor renovations themselves and had others install kitchen equipment in what was a shell of a building.
“We had looked at a food truck originally but felt a brick-and-mortar place would benefit us more,” Josh explained.
“We kind of got lucky that we always planned to do takeout,” Nailah said, noting that 90 percent of their business is carryout since their dining room only seats 10 people. “We wanted to keep it as simple as possible.”
