By Melissa Wagoner
When it came time to decide where Yanliang Zhu and his business partner, Boyi Qiu, would open their first full-service sushi restaurant, coined Akatsuki Sushi Bar, Silverton seemed an obvious choice.
Zhu’s most recent venture was a takeout sushi business located in Madras Oregon.
City chosen, the partners began looking for a location, stumbling upon the former home of the Creekside Grill, located on Silver Creek in downtown Silverton, and everything fell into place.
“We started business on May 28,” Zhu said, noting that, while the menu – which includes an extensive list of sushi rolls, traditional Japanese dishes, noodle bowls, fried rice and even bento boxes – has been up and running since that day, obtaining a liquor license and hiring the necessary staff have taken some time.
“At present, our challenge is it’s difficult to recruit workers,” Zhu said.
Thankfully, the shortage has not extended to the primary staff, the three experienced sushi masters whose creations take pride of place on the restaurant’s menu.
“I hope our restaurant will be deeply loved by local people and tourists,” Zhu said when asked about his hopes for the future of his new restaurant. “Because we think sushi is a popular dish that most people like.”
