Louie D’s Authentic Philly Steaks

Tons of great potential for a kick ass Philly cheesesteak joint in the heart of downtown cubedwellerland… but alas Louie D’s was sort of a disappointment.
Let’s start with the good first. Very good «pull me in» storefront. Bright, vibrant, and definitely stood out from the other drab fronts of the Locust Mall food court. They also had a fun vibe — a Phillesque way of ordering your sub complete with step by step instructions. And the staff was dressed in uniform, which presented a united front of fun and funky service. Finally, the menu had pretty much something for everyone — from classic cheesesteaks, to chicken steaks, and a host of specialty subs. Although they did not have a veggie only cheesesteak… in the heart of lent season on the Friday I visited, it would have been a bonus for sure.
Now the bad. And it wasn’t BAD… just not good. Mostly underwhelming for all the good I expected from above. First the steak was rather bland and on the dry side. I ordered a streak whiz wit onions and green peppers. But I didn’t have nearly enough onions on mine and my peppers seemed only warmed on the grill and not necessarily grilled. Then the hoagie… eight inch seemed perfect but the bread was way too dense for my taste and I wouldve liked it to be grilled and/​or juiced up with a little au jous or something. Finally… remember those united in-​uniform staff members? I think they have some communication and operations flow issues to work out. The person fulfilling orders didn’t seem to know that I ordered the combo and I had to wait for my drink and potato salad. All the while people were stepping in front of me and figuring out which subs were theirs and some others waiting as I did. So it was a tad confusing.
I might give Louie D’s few weeks and go back for another try. I think this was their first week open. I sure hope the food and delivery improves though… the Locust Mall food court really needs some life!

Louie D’s is a new Philly Steak place in the Des Moines Partnership food court, it offers a limited number of sandwiches. The ordering system is simple but not very efficient. You order, stand in a crowd and wait for your number to be called, then hope you hear it to claim your food. You can order chicken or beef, onions or without, & add cheese, peppers (not sauted), mushrooms, etc if you wish & make it a combo if you want. No all veggie sandwiches and all Pepsi products. I had the Steak sandwich without onions with Nacho cheese (Cheese Whiz as they call it) & a bag of Lays Chips for about $ 7. Combos are ~$ 9.50.
Pros:
Decent food
Unique to the area
Cons:
No tap water to drink, must buy a drink or bottled water
Inefficient ordering system
Sandwich needs more flavor
limited chip variety
Expensive for food received
Leaves you wanting more
Staff not super personable, «What do you want? Here it is, now leave.»