After more than 10 years in operation, Louis DeAngelo’s Casual Italian Dining is closing its restaurant at 7970 Jefferson Hwy. Owner Louis DeAngelo, who founded the local pizzeria and Italian chain in 1991, says he decided to close the restaurant because his lease on the building expired late last year and the existing 5,600-square-foot location was no longer working for him.
“We were there for almost 12 years and it was great,” DeAngelo says. “But sometimes you just kind of grow out of things.”
DeAngelo says he would like to reopen some time later this year in a new location with a smaller main dining room and different layout that would enable the restaurant to do more banquets and group events. He has two possibilities in mind but no firm deal yet.
DeAngelo’s was the anchor tenant in the 19,000-square-foot Jefferson Village shopping center. He has been located there since the center was developed in the early 2000s. Real estate broker Mark Hebert, who handles leasing for the center, says he is talking to several potential tenants about taking over DeAngelo’s space.
The restaurant’s last day in operation is Sunday. DeAngelo’s will have six remaining locations following the Jefferson closure, with two Baton Rouge locations, as well as others in Prairieville, Central, Denham Springs and Lake Charles.
—Stephanie Riegel
