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Louie's stays busy 24-7.

It might as well be called Mecca at 3 a.m., and the cheesy hash browns may even be your salvation the next morning.

An eclectic mixture of college professors, students and night owls has been filing in and out of Louie’s Café (and its predecessors) since before World War II. Today, they come thirsty for everything from hot coffee to cold beer, and hungry for anything from bulging omelets to juicy cheeseburgers.

Louie’s started life as Louie’s Dutch Mill in the late 1930s. Louie Sisk operated his restaurant on North Street downtown, the building distinguished by a rooftop windmill.

During World War II, a friend of Sisk’s offered him a lucrative spot next to the LSU campus in a building that had previously operated as a tiny short-order restaurant, Toddle House. So in 1941 Sisk moved to Chimes Street.

Louie’s fed the LSU community from its Chimes Street location until Sisk’s death in 1977. His widow operated it for a while, then sold it to LSU student James Wetherford and two enterprising friends who shortened the name to Louie’s Café, still honoring its founder. After 40 years on Chimes Street, Louie’s Café moved one street over to its present-day spot on State Street.

Wetherford bought out his partners in 1979, although he did bring in Frank Duvic as a partner from 1986 to 2000. Also in 1986, Louie’s became a 24-hour restaurant.

Wetherford remains committed to Louie’s roots and traditions. “The burgers are made the same way Louie used to do it,” Wetherford says. The menu, on the other hand, has been updated. While the original only offered eggs, meats and toast, Wetherford added items such as veggie omelets and Louie’s signature hash browns.

But what makes Louie’s special, Wetherford says, are LSU and his dedicated staff.

“The energy from LSU and the spirit of the employees who have made their home here is what makes this place,” he says. “We may not be the best restaurant in town, but we’re the best after 10 p.m.”