Sakura built it; diners came

The doors are now open at Sakura Japanese steak, seafood and sushi bar restaurant in the La Cañada Town Center, and hundreds flocked to dine there in the past few days, despite the fact that the restaurant didn’t advertise and plans to officially open next week.

“We were overwhelmed by the community,” said Charles Wee, co-owner of the restaurant, of the amazing numbers of diners in the four days since the restaurant had its pre-opening on Thursday night.

“We turned on the lights, opened the doors and thought maybe five or 10 people would show up, so we would do a practice run. The question is, where did all the people come from and how did they know? I’d like to know. I guess, wow, people have really been waiting a long time for us to open,” Wee said.

More than 100 people showed up that Thursday night, then 140 on Friday, and 240 on Saturday, he said, adding that of the 11,000 people served in Sakura’s 20 restaurants on Mother’s Day, 350 people dined at the La Cañada location.

It has been a three-month wait for those who listened to the original expectation of Wee and Sakura founder Marc Ha, who initially anticipated a February opening.

Wee said it wasn’t the economy that slowed the restaurant down, instead, he blames the beauty of the new structure, which features African hand-rubbed mahogany, slate and split-face travertine interior, the hallmark of all of Sakura’s now-20 locations.

The other 19 locations are on the East Coast, where Ha currently lives.

Employee selection and training also were factors in slowing down the restaurant opening. “We hired a first-class staff,” We said, adding that more than half of the chefs and other staff members are local, from La Cañada, La Crescenta and Tujunga.

They were trained in the restaurant’s protocol and standards in the past few weeks by Vice President in Charge of Operations H.S. Kim, of Sakura’s headquarters in Virginia. “Mr. Kim has been training non-stop for the past two weeks,” Wee said.

The four chefs already preparing food at the La Cañada restaurant have a combined 40 years of restaurant experience. Head Chef Taka Miyabayashi joined the La Cañada staff from Virginia. And Tony Kim, the head sushi department chef, is local and was a chef at La Crescenta’s Hayashi restaurant for about seven years before joining Sakura.

“A lot of people around here know him and his loyal customers will come here,” Wee said.

“We feel a lot of responsibility. A lot of people have been waiting for us to open and we want to give them something that was well worth the wait,” he said.

“Look at this place. We’ve covered every inch with this beautiful wood and tile. We really gave the people something beautiful. We’ve had some wonderful comments on the interior,” he added.

The La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce is planning a ribbon-cutting event for the afternoon of May 20. But, there’s no need to wait for the ceremony to taste the moderately priced delicacies, cooked as you watch, Tappenyaki-style.

Prices for dinner range from $19 to $35 and lunch prices range from $9.95 to $16.95.

And, those aren’t grand opening special menu pricing.

“A lot of restaurants open up and it’s good for the first few months and then the quality goes down and the prices go up,” Wee said, adding, “We’re not like that. We’re in it for the long haul.”