After seven months of struggles, Otani Japanese Restaurant announced this morning that they will be closing their doors at 5900 Roche Drive following dinner service tomorrow night. Due to late rent payments, the business is being asked to vacate the building by noon on Wednesday.
“We have paid late and in similar fashion previously,” said Otani President Rick Honda on Facebook. “This has proven to be insufficient to satisfy the owner this time.”
Honda explains in detail that they have an option to pay $14,000 on Wednesday to be able to remain in the space through May 31st, but they are planning to close on Tuesday evening regardless.
“This development is very sudden for us so we can’t say with absolute certainty but it’s pretty clear that that may be the best course of action,” said Honda. “In either case it has been made clear to us that the building ownership no longer wants a restaurant in that space.”
On September 21st, 2013, Honda posted on the Otani Facebook page that the business was closing if they could not raise $25,000 in a week to keep up with operation expenses. After an outpouring of support that week, a decision was made to keep the restaurant open for a new wave of customers with a new found appreciation.
“Ironically, at this very juncture, we are better than we’ve ever been,” said Honda this morning. “We could be better, always better but I say with confidence that this crew has come together; we are ready to step into any facility and rock Otani like bosses but that is a conversation for later.”
Honda said that he has been working on relocation plans for awhile, but the order to vacate the building has come sooner than expected. He said that he loves their existing location and its atmosphere — where the business has been located for 36 years — but said it has inherent problems as well.
“Business can be very tough,” added Honda. “There are business all around you fighting against odds you cannot imagine or simply do not know, and this is just daily life for all of us everywhere on this planet. We can only do our best and part of that is to find the best in each other.”
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