JohThere are three stalks of curved bamboo -- said to be a sign of good
luck -- in the bathrooms at restaurateur Tom Johnson's Sushi House in
Town Center Plaza. But the location apparently is no longer so lucky for
the eight-year-old sushi restaurant. It's closing this Saturday night.
"You
do know we're closing on Saturday night, don't you?" said the cheery
blonde at the hostess stand as she packed up a carry-out order for a
couple of customers.
I knew, but only because Faith, a local blogger (and frequent Fat City commenter), put out the word this week.nson, once an executive for the former restaurant division of Crown Center, Culinary Concepts, has a long history with Town Center Plaza. Before opening the Sushi House, he had operated a casual Italian dining spot, La Dolce Vita, in the same shopping complex. That restaurant closed several years ago.
I asked my server at the Sushi House why the restaurant was closing. I remembered that a second Sushi House, in Olathe, closed in 2007.
"I was told that our owners were negotiating the lease and couldn't come to terms with Town Center Plaza," she said. "Our customers are begging Tom [Johnson] to move the restaurant to another location, but I haven't heard anything more about that possibility."
After I paid my bill, the cheery blonde reminded me to return before Saturday night.
"We're closing on Saturday!" she said. "We're booked with dinner reservations until 8:30 every night, but we have reservations after that."
Sayonara, baby.
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Town center has gobe down hill, a Rug Shop with blinking lights, toy stores, very bad cupake and yogury place and now this...What's up over there?
I have been a loyal fan of this restaurant since it's inception. The service is great, the owner and 'cheery' managers take very good care of their guests. I honestly don't think it's anyone's business why the place almost did or didn't close. The bottom line is: we can still get the best Sushi in town (tried them all!) and we don't have to hop on an airplane to do so. Whatever the problem was, I'm glad it worked out to the advantage of not only us patrons, but all the employees that were able to keep their jobs. I see a Crazy Lobster roll in my near future, and you should too!
Rent at Town Center is around $40/square foot. Very expensive and the owners have always been horrible. Sushi House is an awesome restaurant and I am disappointed to hear they'll soon be gone. What a shame. I would love it if Mr. Johnson opened somewhere else. There are so many vacant retail centers in the area, surely he could find a good location at a better price nearby.
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