The former Alphabet Soup space at 1107 Lake St. is being remade into a two-story Japanese restaurant that will be called Sushi House.
Owners Bob Johnson and Diane Yuan-Johnson own five other Sushi House restaurants, the first opened in Wheaton 13 years ago.
“We just took off after that,” Bob Johnson said. “I never thought I’d be in this business, but it’s been kind of fun and rewarding.” Johnson’s background is in real estate and development, but Yuan-Johnson was born in Beijing, China, and has worked in restaurants all her life, Johnson said.
The restaurants became a family business. Yuan-Johnson’s brothers operate Sushi House’s LaGrange and Naperville locations, while Johnson’s brother operates one in Leawood, Kan. The family members gather to collaborate on their operations. “It’s a nice mix of our management team,” Johnson said. The fifth restaurant is in Westmont.
The restaurants serve raw sushi, sashimi and rolls, and traditional Japanese cooked entrees such as tempura and teriyaki. The Oak Park restaurant will have a full-service liquor license.
“We’ll have a sushi bar, table seating and an extensive carryout menu,” Johnson said.
The restaurant’s build-out is being designed by Jim Lencioni and Kenta Bacas Hosaka of Oak Park-based Aria Group Architects and will feature traditional and modern Japanese elements.
“It’s really going to be a transformation. You’re not going to feel like you’re in Oak Park anymore when you walk in there,” Johnson said.
Elements on the building’s facade will be echoed in the interior design.
The restaurant’s 5,000 square feet will be split between two levels. The first floor will offer a sushi bar, a bar with lounge seating and two tatami rooms. Tatami rooms offer semi-private dining on traditional low tables where diners sit on the ground or on pillows.
The lower level will be fashioned into a party and banquet room and will offer restaurant seating, too. “It’s going to be a nice space,” Johnson said.
The build-out will cost $890,000, according to public documents. Oak Park awarded the Johnsons a $35,000 retail support grant in March.
The building’s second-floor apartment will continue to be rented.
Johnson said he was attracted to Oak Park, and he seized the chance to purchase the Lake Street space. “It’s a nice suburb and has some urban feel to it,” he said. “We’re looking forward to coming to Oak Park.”
The owners are projecting an early fall soft opening. Johnson did not want to be too specific on an expected opening. “Especially in a rehab, things come up from time to time,” he said.
CONTACT: dcarter@wjinc.com