​​SoLou’s Lafayette location opens today

SoLou, a Baton Rouge eatery with an emphasis on south Louisiana fare, is expanding into Lafayette.

The new restaurant is on Kaliste Saloom Road near Camellia Boulevard in the former home of Grub Burger Bar, which closed abruptly in May 2023. A grand opening is set for Monday at 11 a.m.

SoLou’s Baton Rouge location opened in March 2021 on Perkins Road near Kenilworth Parkway. Created by restaurateurs Michael Boudreaux, Kiva Guidroz and Peter Sclafani, the concept aims to reimagine Louisiana classics in inventive, sometimes-playful ways.

The new Lafayette restaurant will be SoLou’s second location, though a several-unit expansion is planned for the next decade along the Interstate 10 corridor.

SoLou falls under the umbrella of Making Raving Fans, a Baton Rouge hospitality group that also operates P-Beau’s and Portobello’s Grill. In October, Jubans Restaurant and Bar cut ties with Making Raving Fans over “philosophical differences.”

Sclafani, the hospitality group’s founder and CEO, has experience expanding brands into the Lafayette market. During his tenure as co–owner and executive chef at Ruffino’s, the brand opened Ruffino’s on the River in River Ranch, the same neighborhood that SoLou’s new location is opening in.

This story originally appeared in a June 3 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.