Sushi Nine has announced its comeback after approving rebuilding permits with the City of Raleigh. Lisa Fatfat, the owner of Sushi Nine, told reporters the restaurant is planning to reopen for customers this fall at the same location at 3812 Western Blvd.
“This place is very popular; everybody knows about it,” Fatfat said.
In January 2016, five years after it first opened, Sushi Nine suffered a fire that destroyed half of the building and closed the restaurant. Owners announced plans to rebuild on social media and received tremendous support from fans and patrons.
The owners hosted a ceremony on Sunday, Jan. 15 to announce the news to journalists in the same location as the former restaurant. Models and floor plans were showcased at the event.
According to Fatfat, customers can expect a bigger space, brand new dining room and the menu they always loved. Alongside other innovative changes, the new design of the building will be closer to the road, Western Boulevard. Fatfat is very excited about it.
Although Fatfat was unable to give a specific date for the reopening, she said it will be this fall. According to Fatfat, familiar faces will be rejoining the staff of the restaurant, while new opportunities will be provided for students to join the staff of Sushi Nine.
As to what encouraged her to make this comeback, Fatfat said Sushi Nine is not only important to her as a business, but as a popular institution, loved by many members of the community. The second day after Sushi Nine burned down a customer wrote a moving poem and shared it with her on Facebook.
“It is my business,” Fatfat said. “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 NC State students frequented Sushi Nine for its proximity to campus and affordable menu. Emily Wingfield, a 2014 NC State alumna, said she loved Sushi Nine.
“When I was in college, it was like the place because it’s the closest to NC State,” Wingfield said. “I would go with my friends if we suddenly had money.”
Albaraa Kamal, a sophomore studying chemical engineering, said he has been to Sushi Nine several times and found it to be a great restaurant, but not necessarily his favorite.
“I think it was my first time eating sushi in the U.S.,” Albaraa said. “I was alone, though. No one wanted to eat sushi, so I decided to go there by myself, and it certainly was delicious. I remember eating too much that day.”
Fatfat spoke about the meaning behind Sushi Nine’s logo and its connection to the culture of Thailand and its people. She said that the majority of the students here prefer the sushi, but the Thai food they serve is very authentic.
“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.”
More updates on the state of the reopening can be found on the Sushi Nine Facebook webpage.
