After chef and restaurateur Jeff Osaka opened Sushi-Rama’s first restaurant in RiNo in 2015, “we grew fairly rapidly,” he mentioned, “perhaps with much less expertise than what was required.”
Osaka opened 4 extra Sushi-Ramas within the Denver Tech Heart and Lone Tree in 2018, Aurora in 2019 and Broomfield in 2022.
On Valentine’s Day, Osaka closed the Aurora location, 13650 E. Colfax Ave., and on Friday, March 8, he’ll shut the opposite three suburban shops. The unique Sushi-Rama and Osaka Ramen, at 2615 Larimer St., within the River North Artwork District, will stay open.
“It comes all the way down to the standard suspects,” Osaka mentioned. “The price of doing enterprise is dear from meals prices to labor prices, on prime of enjoying catch up for the final three years after COVID. We simply determined that the trouble we have been placing into didn’t make sense with our return on funding, which was barely getting us by.”
Sushi-Rama is thought for its retro ambiance and conveyor-belt system that delivers recent sushi on to tables. Osaka mentioned he doesn’t remorse increasing to the suburbs, particularly since “lease was cheaper out of Denver county.” He added that enterprise in DTC, Lone Tree and Aurora was nice up till 2020, and “who would have guessed COVID would come round?”
Osaka is trying to promote the leases for every of his 4 suburban places, and he’s hoping to search out restaurant jobs elsewhere for his 80 staff. For now, he desires to “get a safe footing” and give attention to his sole Sushi-Rama and Osaka Ramen eating places in RiNo, which he mentioned have the smallest footprint and see much more foot site visitors.
Sushi-Rama is becoming a member of a listing of different restaurant closures this month, principally in downtown Denver, together with Avelina, Three Saints Revival and New Saigon Restaurant.
“Prospects are being selective about the place they spend their {dollars},” Osaka mentioned. “On prime of that, with the ability to stay and work in Denver in our trade is a problem. Individuals are shifting to the suburbs or out of state. Denver is dear, and I’m saying that as somebody from L.A.”
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