In The News
February 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PLAZZIO LANDS SUMO RESTAURANT
Local Japanese Grill & Sushi Restaurant
Coming to Retail/Entertainment Center
(Wichita, KS) – SUMO by Nambara, a locally-owned restaurant
featuring Japanese cuisine and fresh sushi will move to a new location
at Plazzio retail and entertainment complex at 13th & Greenwich
Road on the city’s east side. The announcement was made by Cathy
Erickson, vice president of Laham Development, who said plans are
underway for the 6,000-sq.-ft. restaurant to be built on 13th Street.
The restaurant is expected to open late this year. Plazzio is a
project of Laham Development and Ritchie Development.
Owned by husband and wife, H. Nambara & Ivy Yang, Sumo opened
in 2000 at 3236 N. Rock Road. Since then, it has become a popular
destination known as much for its lively tableside entertainment
as its cuisine. The restaurant features an extensive selection of
traditional Japanese sushi. In addition, skilled teppanyaki chefs
prepare meals to-order at tableside smokeless grills.
According to Nambara, the selection of the Plazzio site caps a
two-year search for a larger location. “The need for more space
became apparent when customers had to be turned away due to limited
seating,” Nambara said. “My wife and I decided on Plazzio because
it is the newest, and we think best, entertainment area in the city
with the expanded Warren Theatre and The Alley. It is close and
accessible to our customers, making it all the more appealing to
us,” he said. The new restaurant will double the space of the current
location.
Sumo at Plazzio will offer seating for approximately 300 including
indoor dining and outdoor service at two grill tables. According
to Yang, the outdoor grill tables will be a unique and appealing
attraction. “We have yet to see any similar steakhouses in the country
offer outdoor grill tables,” she stated. “We are very excited to
launch this concept and know it will be enthusiastically received.”
The outdoor tables will be available for reservation most months
of the year.
Also new to the restaurant will be the addition of individual tables
without grills, known as “naked” tables. These will be located in
the expanded sushi dining area. “We will offer patrons the option
to dine at a private table with their meal prepared in the kitchen
instead of tableside,” said Yang. “This is unique among hibachi-style
restaurants in Wichita and we are pleased to provide this option
to our guests, many of whom have requested it.” Yang also noted
the new restaurant will offer a larger bar area with a full selection
of beer, wine and spirits.
According to David Kanai, Sumo’s sushi chef, several new dishes
will be added to the menu at the new location. “We are developing
a number of signature offerings that we are very excited about,”
Kanai said. “These new wave dishes will blend traditional and modern
Japanese cuisines to showcase innovative flavors and ingredients.”
As a retail and entertainment center, Plazzio is a natural location
for Sumo according to Erickson. “Good restaurateurs recognize that
eating out is a form of entertainment,” she noted. “The experience
offered at Sumo raises the entertainment bar while offering imaginative
cuisine that appeals to a very broad audience,” Erickson said. “This
will add a new entertainment option to the center’s already wide-ranging
offerings.”
Sumo is the fifth project to be announced since Plazzio was initiated
in late 2000. The Warren Theater, the development’s anchor, opened
in May 2002. The lavish Art Deco-inspired theatre recently announced
a $10 million expansion, adding eight new screens to its existing
12. The Alley Entertainment Center opened in November 2004 and includes
42 lanes of bowling, an indoor go cart track, sports bar, billiards
room for teens and corporate meeting rooms. Currently under construction
is a Marriott Residence Inn opening August 2005. B.G. Bolton’s will
also build a new prototype restaurant at Plazzio with construction
slated to begin this spring.
Situated on a 60-acre site with access and visibility from K-96
Highway, the 347,000-sq.-ft. Plazzio launched a leading national
concept in Wichita retail development known as the urban entertainment
center. Upon completion, it will include up to 15 stores, restaurants,
hotel and entertainment concepts.
Krehbiel Associates is the architect for Sumo. Shelden Architecture
is project architect for Plazzio. J.P. Weigand & Sons is the
exclusive broker for the development.
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