A small Richmond sushi restaurant is not only opening a second location but it is also nearly tripling the size of its original space.
Richmond Sushi Lovers, located at Blundell Road and Railway Avenue, will open its second outpost on Park Road, between No. 3 Road and Buswell Street., in the city centre.
The original restaurant opened in 2018 as a 700-square-foot space run by husband-and-wife duo Jimmy Lee and Sylvia Tam with Lee as the head sushi chef.
Tam explained the restaurant is the result of them wanting to create a comfortable spot that offered “good and cheap” food in an economy where they saw a lot of restaurants offering pricey menus.
“When we saw a spot open, our current store, which is a simple place, we said ‘why not?'" said Tam.
“We got busier and busier, something we didn’t think would happen, to the point we decided to open a bigger space.”
Its current location seats a little more than 10 patrons and only offers appetizers and sushi on its menu with the addition of its sushi cake.
The new 2,000-square-foot location will have around 40 to 45 seats and include a full-size kitchen, which the original location does not have.
New space means more options for guests
Lee said they have been thinking of expanding for a while, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused a financial setback.
“The pandemic created challenges for many people and during the two years, we didn’t really earn much money since we didn’t raise our prices at all,” he said.
“Now we’re slowly making our money back.”
The expanded space will also help the couple keep making hot lunches for 30 Richmond schools as part of a lunch program.
“We want to offer more options for our patrons, but this space is too small,” said Lee.
“We need a larger food preparation area.”
Space in new development was delayed
In 2023, the couple jumped at the chance to rent a space on the ground level of a new development at Park Road and Buswell Street.
However, the opening is a year behind schedule due to the size of the project, renovation time, and delays in receiving their custom-made kitchen exhaust fan.
“We’ve waited four months already for the fan, but because it is custom-made it takes time,” said Lee.
Guests will find expanded menu of food and drink
The new location will expand the menu to include hot dishes like udon, tempura, and chawanmushi (Japanese steamed egg), as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, Tam added.
The exact menu is still being finalized.
“We hope this new location will be able to cater to the surrounding businesses and tenants, especially during busy lunch hours,” said Lee.
Operating hours at the new restaurant will be similar with dinner service extending later into the evening.
Tam mentioned the possibility of adding a breakfast service in the future, although no plans are confirmed.
Lee countered they have to consider staffing levels in order to expand their operating hours, which Tam joked she would work the breakfast hours herself if she could.
Richmond Sushi Lovers is expecting to open its new location around April at 105 - 8111 Park Rd.
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