Cantina Louie is a lively, full-service restaurant that welcomes customers into a festive atmosphere that is as fun and exciting as the menu. In 2014, the owner of Cantina Louie, Ben Porter, and his business partner Luis Cuevas opened the first restaurant location in St. Augustine, FL. Today the restaurant chain has ten locations and counting in Northeast Florida from Daytona Beach to Fernandina Beach as well as North Carolina.
Let’s Taco Bout It
When customers walk into Cantina Louie, they can’t help but take notice of the vibrant décor that brings the Day of the Dead to life! From the sugar skulls and crosses that light up the walls to the mood-setting lights hanging from the ceiling, the decor at the restaurant creates the perfect backdrop for the equally festive menu.
The restaurant serves unique burritos, fresh salads, specialty cocktails, and a diverse selection of Mexican Street Food – but their claim to fame is their a la carte taco menu. These specialty tacos each have playful names like the Sunny-Side taco that includes a sunny-side-up egg, or The Hot Surfer Chick made with chicken breast, pineapple salsa, and sriracha ranch. Other taco favorites include the Mahi, Surf and Turf, Pineapple Al Pastor, and many other mouth-watering combinations
An Unbeatable Bond
From opening day to expanding into new markets, Sysco is proud to be a trusted business partner for the Cantina Louie brand. As Ben Porter explains, “I’ve been with Sysco since the beginning of my restaurant career, before Cantina Louie. These last 18 months, we’ve had more challenges than we’ve ever seen in the restaurant industry. Sysco did a better job than most and did a really good job keeping us up to date on supply chain issues. We’ve had numerous trips to the test kitchens to come up with different ideas with their corporate chefs [and] there is a constant dialogue that goes on between us and Sysco’s upper management.”
Porter’s relationship with his Sales Consultant, Stephen Bond, is as strong as they come. “We’ve got the best [Sales Consultant] in the Sysco world!” he declares. “I’ve had Stephen Bond since day one. I know that he is one of the top Sysco guys – he’ll bend over backward for us. He’s always there; he keeps us in the loop on market trends: what’s coming, what’s going, and price trends. That has given us a leg up on other restaurant groups in the market. Our relationship with Sysco is driven by Stephen Bond as our Sales Representative.”
Two additional Cantina Louie locations are set to open in St. Johns, FL this year, with more to come as the restaurant is always in what Porter calls “calculated growth mode”. To see more from Cantina Louie and discover current and upcoming locations click here to visit their website.
