GROSSE POINTE, Mich. (WXYZ) — Listening to customer feedback has paid off for one Grosse Pointe restaurant that completely transformed its concept from a cocktail lounge to a sushi restaurant.
Watch Carli Petrus's video report:
Ryuu Sushi, formerly known as Shift Kitchen and Cocktails, has been open for about a month on Kercheval Avenue, bringing a much-requested dining option to the community.
Sushi chef James Lee was recently hired by Mark Adamo and his business partners to lead the kitchen at the newly transformed restaurant.
"It was like a cocktail bar with small plates," Adamo said.
The decision to pivot to sushi came directly from community input.
"We really serve the family aspect of that community, but the Shift concept wasn't really capturing that because it was a higher-end cocktail bar. We started to ask around and we realized that sushi just wasn't available in the space," Adamo said. "We're asking people, and they're saying sushi. We're reading through the groups in the communities that people want sushi, so we're like, we should probably bring sushi to the village."
With the current challenges facing restaurant owners, making Ryuu Sushi stand out in a competitive market was crucial to keeping their doors open.
When asked about these difficulties, Adamo offered a pragmatic perspective.
"When I hear the difficulties, we feel it too, but I don't feel like, as a restaurant owner, we should be talking about how hard things are. Nothing anybody does is really easy at the end of the day, so why does it matter if it's hard for us? Why should somebody care at the end of the day? So, we need to do what we know is necessary. We have to deliver a consistent product, we have to deliver a high-quality product, and we have to make sure we're listening to our customer base," Adamo said.
The restaurant has been receiving positive feedback since opening, with community members like Luke Sorensen eager to try it out.
"It's always refreshing seeing a company listen to their customers and altering their menu or their service, so I love it, I'm excited to try," Sorensen said.
Still in a soft opening phase, Chef Lee said the menu currently consists mostly of rolls, including California rolls and their signature Red Dragon Roll, but he's planning to expand the offerings soon.
"Like noodles and more different kind of fish too," Lee said.
Adamo emphasized his commitment to the community and hopes for the restaurant's future.
"It's been just overwhelming support from the community, and we've heard just nothing from great feedback, so we're happy to be a part of it, we want to be a part of it for a very long time. We know that that's the type of community where if you do it right as a business owner, if you provide a quality product and you don't let the quality go away, I think we can be there 20, 30, 40 years," Adamo said.
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