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player ready...Business: Raku Sushi Gourmet
Address: 850 E. Ogden Ave., Naperville
Phone/website: 630-357-7633, www.rakusushi.com
Owner: Jean Tong
Opening date: May 5, 2009
What does this business sell? “Sushi, and now we offer dim sum. Dim sum is almost like Chinese tapas. Little dishes,” Tong said. “We also offer all kinds of Japanese dishes.” All dishes available for dine in, take out, delivery and catering.
How many full- and part-time workers do you employ? Six, not including me and my husband. “We don’t close between lunch and dinner.”
What was the impetus for opening this restaurant? “This is my third business. The first one was a take-out place in downtown Chicago on the Lake Shore Drive. The second one was in (Chicago’s) Chinatown (community). I wanted a new adventure and said, we’ve done Chicago, maybe Naperville will be a nice place. And it has for seven years now.”
Did the city of Naperville help you or hinder you in your plans? “They were helpful, but of course there were certain challenges. They are very strict. For instance, if you want your sign bigger, they said, ‘No, you can only have it a certain size.’ Sometimes people even say our sign isn’t easy to see. We used to have Wendy’s next door, they had a big sign, but that was grandfathered in, so it’s OK. But because we are a new business, we have to follow the rules.”
What’s the best thing about being in Naperville? “Actually, Naperville is a really, really nice suburb. There are many suburbs, but Naperville is special.”
What’s the biggest challenge about being in Naperville? “It’s my personal drive to and from home. The commute. Other than that, we love Naperville.”
When is your busiest time of year? “Summertime. When it’s too hot, people don’t want to cook. Then sushi is the best.”
What’s the most popular item on your menu? “I think probably our Fire Dragon, our signature roll. Or the Lion Dance, it’s raw.”
Are you a lunch or dinner destination? Family or couples? “Both. We see a lot of business customers during lunch and families during dinner. We have tables, and the booths are popular for families.”
What is the best thing about owning your own business? “You know, when a customer says, ‘Oh, wow, the food was delicious,’ or ‘The food or service was great, I will come back again and I will tell my friends,’ then you know you’ve done your job.”
What is the biggest downside? “Sometimes a customer is really hard to please. Sometimes that makes it a little hard.”
What is the biggest misconception about your business? “Sometimes when people drive by, they don’t think this is a nice or fancy restaurant. And when they try the food, they are happy. But the outside doesn’t look so fancy. It used to be an old Baker’s Square building.”
How would you describe your business philosophy? “Freshness. It’s all about freshness. … No matter how much experience the sushi chef has, maybe 20 years, he has to work with fresh ingredients.”
Do you have any future plans to expand? “For now, no, no expansion. Just to stay here and to make it better and better.”
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What advice would you give someone thinking about opening a store/starting a business? “You have to be there all the time. It is a dedication. It is a lot of work and stress. I do love my business, but it never stops. Be aware, it’s always with you.”
Daina Saleh is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.