Louie Louie, Simply The Best Food In Town.

Robert Woltin is the proud owner of six restaurants, four in Ft. Lauderdale on Las Olas Boulevard, and two in Delray Beach on Atlantic Avenue. All have his trademark "Louie Louie" name. On Las Olas there's Louie Louie Italian Bistro, Louie's Oyster, Louie's Tequila Cantina, and coming soon, Louie's To Go takeout facility. 

"I grew up on Long Island. My dad was a butcher handling prime meats, and I have always loved food," Bob explained. "I've traveled the world sampling foods everywhere. My favorite restaurant in the United States is Spago in Beverly Hills, where my daughter lives."

Bob came to Florida in the early 1980's. "I was buying and selling exotic European cars like Ferraris and Lamborghinis, until I opened my first restaurant called Rinaldo's in Pompano Beach on Atlantic Boulevard. Simultaneously, I opened Façade, a 2,000 person nightclub on 163rd Street in North Miami, with an intimate nightclub restaurant called Rinaldo's Back Stage."

"I co-owned Mario's on East Las Olas for three years, but sold out in 1993 and took a leave of absence for two years," Bob continued. "Then I bought a 20 year-old beauty salon, and ultimately converted it to the first Louie Louie restaurant, which had only 40 seats. We did so well, I opened Louie Louie Too, a 120-seat restaurant on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach," he added.
 

The Louie Louie name comes from the song written in 1955 or 1956 by Richard Berry, about a bartender and a customer bent on finding love in Jamaica. It was a catchy tune and it stuck with me," Bob smiled.

"Our lease was about to expire on Las Olas. Business was so good that we needed more space, so I bought Mario's back and converted it to Louie Louie Italian Bistro," Bob explained. "I bought space next to the original Louie Louie and called it Louie's Oyster. I have a passion for seafood and always wanted a seafood/sushi restaurant."

"A friend and business associate negotiated to buy a failing restaurant on Las Olas and came to me. I agreed to get involved and create the new restaurant theme, which I felt would have a great appeal to the Boulevard. We call it Louie's Tequilla Cantina," Bob said. "We have since bought space at 1404 East Las Olas and in September will open our catering/take-out and home delivery operation, which will have the same fine food served at Louie Louie Italian Bistro."

Bob is a yachtsman and a fisherman at heart. He recently returned from a Bahamas and Caribbean Islands trip. "I left the boat in San Salvador and flew back with wonderful black-fin and yellow-fin tuna for the sushi bar at Louie's Oyster. This restaurant was recently voted the best sushi bar in South Florida," Bob said proudly. "In fact our restaurants have been recognized by the Sun-Sentinel in their Top 100 Restaurants, and we have won numerous 'The Best Of' awards from City Link."

An important element in Bob's success is that everything served at a Louie Louie restaurant is homemade. "We make our own mozzarella, our own sauces, our own sausage, and we use my mom and dad's recipe for meat balls," Bob pointed out. "Nothing is frozen, pre-prepared, or store-bought; that's the difference."

Another important element in Bob's success is Regent Bank. "The Bank was recommended to us by our real estate attorney, Harold Bofshever. He introduced us to Brian Faust at Regent and we immediately began to use their services," Bob remarked. "All the people there are wonderful. Regent Bank definitely offers more than the big banks. We are proud to refer them to other people."