Leilu in Huntington Will Close After 5 Years in Business
Leilu was created by James and Meghan LaCourte who met while working at Restaurant Joanina, a local family owned restaurant in town. It was there that they fell in love with each other and the idea of owning their own restaurant one day.
After years of learning the ins and outs of owning a restaurant, James and Meghan took the plunge and opened Leilu (named after their 2 daughters, Leila and Lucie) in August 2019. They came out of the gates swinging and were off to a great start.
Covid Strikes and Leilu Takes the Hit
Then, in March of 2020, Covid struck and put every single local business in jeopardy, including Leilu. James & Meghan thought outside of the box and did whatever they could to survive and also help others.
Leilu was the first restaurant to donate meals to the staff at Huntington Hospital during the pandemic. They gave local musicians the chance to play outside to their diners and local artists a chance to showcase their work in the upstairs dining room. In addition, they supported local events like the first ever PUBlic Art Crawl in 2020 and created a community and family that would go on to support them.
Playing Catch Up
The next years consisted of making up the time and money lost during the pandemic and like many businesses, seemed impossible. Food costs kept rising, the economy kept getting worse and it became harder and harder for local businesses to stay open. Including Leilu.
James & Meghan put their heart and souls into their business and fought as hard as they could before making the tough decision to close their doors after 5 years in business. They provided comfort, happiness, a good meal and most importantly, memories that will last a lifetime.
Conclusion
This decision did not come easy, but they are so grateful they were able to bring their dream to life and meet so many amazing people along the way. If you ever had a meal at Leilu, celebrated there, or shared a laugh with them, stop in 8/6 or 8/7 and raise a glass to wish them good luck on their next chapter.
Please let this article be a reminder to us all to support local whenever we can. We wish James & Meghan nothing but the best going forward and thank them for all the memories Leilu has brought us.
