By all accounts, Cafe Louie in the East End was a bona fide hit — an all-day cafe by brother-and-sister chef duo Angelo and Lucianna “Louie” Emiliani, the cafe’s namesake. Visitors loved it. The reviews—both in the mainstream press and on social media—were enthusiastic and laudatory.

Four months in, however, the Emiliani’s realized that their vision for an all-day cafe—open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays serving breakfast, lunch and dinner—wasn’t sustainable. Staffing was a huge issue, and financial viability was another. A pivot needed to happen in order for the fledgling enterprise to survive. This is where Louie’s comes in.