After a total fire demolition of the infamous Sushi Nine restaurant in Raleigh, the restaurant has announced its comeback after approving rebuilding permits with the City of Raleigh in early January. Lisa Fatfat, the owner of Sushi Nine, told reporters the Thai restaurant is planning to reopen for business at their previous location, 3812 Western Blvd, in the fall of 2017.
“Before Sushi Nine closed down, I used to go there all the time with my friends and family. I was so glad to hear that they reopened so I can go back, they have some of the best sushi I’ve ever had,” said Kristen Smedley, senior.
Nearly five years after their opening, Sushi Nine suffered a fire that destroyed half of the building and closed the restaurant Jan. 8, 2016. Sushi Nine owners announced their reopening plans via social media and received ample support from customers around the Triangle area.
Fatfat held an official ceremony Jan. 15 to announce their reopening to the public in their former location. This event also featured a look into the newly designed floor plan of the restaurant. According to Fatfat and the designs, customers can expect a bigger space, brand new dining room with the original menu. The original Sushi Nine staff will remain the same with the addition of North Carolina State University students as hosts and waiters.
“I love that I don’t have to dress up when I go to Sushi Nine. It’s casual enough to go with friends while still being considered an upper scale restaurant with reasonable prices,” said Fariha Rahman, senior.
Sushi Nine customer loyalty and requests to come back to business were what encouraged Fatfat to revive the Thai restaurant after the fire burned its structure to flames in January 2016.
“It is my business,” Fatfat said when interviewed by News and Observer. “I make a living out of this place. I did not realize how much this place impacts other people. When it burned down, I got messages. Some of them wrote a poem. On that day, I was tearing up. I was crying.”
Many Athens Drive students frequently attended Sushi Nine due to its proximity to campus and affordable menu.
“ I think the reopening of Sushi nine is great. It’s conveniently close to Athens and diversifies Western Boulevard rather than having just fast food restaurants,” said Rahman.
Fatfat spoke at the ceremony about the meaning behind Sushi Nine’s logo and its connection to the culture of Thailand and its people. Although the majority of their customers come for the sushi, the Thai food served is authentic and Fatfat hopes to increase its popularity with the reopening of the restaurant.
“Our logo says ‘Sushi’ and has some kind of symbol on it,” Fatfat said. “That’s number nine in Thai. It is very meaningful to Thai people because number nine, the meaning behind it is ‘stepping forward.’ When you see the logo, you know we serve Thai food.”
