Business & Tech
NaNa Asian Fusion and Sushi Bar Hits One-Year Mark
Owner Nic Zheng considers his first restaurant a success and has plans for a children's menu and more.
NaNa Asian Fusion and Sushi Bar hit its one-year mark this month and has plans for the future, including a children's menu.
Nic Zheng owns the restaurant located at 4511 N. Oakland Ave.
“Everything went as planned,” Zheng said.
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His first year went so well that he sees a long future. He hopes to find ways to improve his sushi bar. Zheng plans to add more specials to the menu including a kids' menu and a bento box offered as a lunch special. The box would include sushi and another dish all in an easy-to-carry box.
Zheng, who was born in Hong Kong, is part of the third generation of restaurant owners in his family. Most of his family members' restaurants are located in upstate New York and in the Manhattan area.
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Zheng’s restaurant features fresh fish ordered daily from Hawaii and Japan. His menu includes a variety of sushi as well as Asian dishes with Japanese and Thai influences.
“A lot of customers are amazed by the quality of the fish,” Zheng said.
He found that all of the sushi was equally popular. Top picks with the customers include the special rolls and dishes such as sesame chicken.
The busiest time of the year he experienced was during the holidays, especially during Christmas and the New Year. During the rest of the year, Friday is his busiest day of the week, primarily from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
One obstacle he faced that his family’s restaurants did not is more competition.
“They are the only Asian restaurant in their town and everybody has to eat there,” Zheng said. “For us, there are a lot of Chinese and Asian restaurants here.”
His goal is to stay ahead of the competition by adding new dishes that other restaurants in the area do not have.
“I’m still working on the dishes, I still haven’t come up with the names yet,” Zheng said.
He takes inspiration from his family’s restaurants in New York as well as the other chefs at NaNa Asian Fusion.
“My family came out twice to check it out and give recommendations and they liked it,” Zheng said.
NaNa Asian Fusion and Sushi Bar is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and Noon to 10 p.m. on Sundays.
