Restaurant Impossible - Mike La Susa's Italian Restaurant Update

Photo - Food Network

Tonight on Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine and crew are going to Oak Creek, Wisconsin to makeover Mike La Susa's Italian Restaurant.  There is a volatile relationship between the owners and their son, and they seem to argue over everything 'from the food they serve to the artwork on the wall.'  One of the owners walks out during the makeover and vows never to return.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about Mike La Susa's Italian Restaurant to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant Impossible):

Positive Reviews:

• "I was previously there and liked the price, food was okay the service was okay. But it has been recently renovated and revamped by restaurant impossible. Check it out, food is way better."
• "Although I liked the pre-Restaurant Impossible decor better, the food is still yummy. We had eggplant roll-ups, calamari, and gnocchi pesto appetizers tonight. All were great. The new aioli served with the calamari is an interesting change, but still very good. I hope they stick around, because they're the best Italian in Oak Creek!"
• "I have visited La Susa's restaurant before and after their make-over. Before the make-over, the atmosphere was fine and the food better.... The make-over is exceptional! Now, if the full menu came back, it would be great once again. The current menu only has about ten things on it! I was very disappointed and hope they are able to build a better menu soon or this restaurant will not survive. "

Negative Reviews:

• "This was hands down my favorite local place to eat,  but since the latest renovation they did with restaurant impossible I don't think i will be back.  They took away about 50 percent of the menu and everything left now tastes subpar.  I will honestly miss the old mike la susa's"
• "We used to be regulars and dined every Friday and sometimes mid week as well....This restaurant is a hidden gem, the food superb and different. But the menu was shrunk beyond belief. The contract with restaurant impossible people won't let them change the menu. I just hope he stays in business long enough to get out of the contract and get back to the old menu.... Prior to the show I would rate this restaurant at 5 stars. Now I am waiting to see what happens before I go back."
• "If it's not broken don't fix it. Robert Irvine ruined this restaurant !! The old menu was loaded with tasty choices, I was hard pressed to find anything appetizing with the new menu."
• "Change is good, but in this case it is too much. Nothing on the new menu was appealing to us. Hopefully Restaurant Impossible has not ruined one of our favorite restaurants and they read reviews and feedback...This is the first time in my life that I have sat down at a restaurant read the menu and left!"
• "My last review of Mike Lasusa's was glowing. We had found a new Italian hideaway we absolutely loved. And then....Restaurant Impossible redid Mike Lasusa's this week......We will never go back. It is SAD to see this homey family feeling restaurant TRY to go upscale and cater to "foodies." Sorry Mike, but we won't be back."

Reviews from Yelp, Tripadvisor, Urbanspoon


Conclusion:

Before the makeover, pretty much all of the reviews for the restaurant were 4 or 5-star reviews commending the food and calling the place a "hidden gem."  The comments on local articles seemed to think the location or advertising was the problem and not the food or decor of the restaurant. 

It seems that the changes Robert put in place to the menu have been disappointing to most of the customers of Mike La Susa's.  The menu is too small for their liking and the prices have increased a bit.  Reviews have been worse since the makeover due to this.  Even the restaurant's Facebook page is loaded with reviews saying the same thing, and the restaurant has stated that they will start to add items back to the menu soon.

The location of the restaurant is apparently off the beaten path, but in a developing part of town near Lake Michigan.  So the location could be better once things start getting built around there.  It will be interesting to see if the location is brought up at all tonight in the episode or if the show will just focus on the family drama.

UPDATE - Mike La Susa's closed in November 2015.  They posted the following message on their Facebook Page,

"Dear Loyal Patrons,
At the end of the evening Saturday, November 7th, 2015, Mike La Susa’s will be closed for business. We want to personally thank everyone for their support over the years. Without this loyal support, Mike La Susa’s would not have been able to survive five memorable years serving the Oak Creek community.
Thanks you,
Michael La Susa"

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