ORLANDO, Fla. – The owners of Susuru Juju hope to have the location in Orlando’s Milk District fully renovated and ready for business by February 2022.
The restaurant is opening up inside a former Pizza Hut at 700 Maguire Blvd., right across the street from the Fashion Square Mall.
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The company said construction on the restaurant recently hit a snag when the building was broken into. However, the business said the remodel is now back on track.
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“The framing is done and drywall is up. Construction is expected to be completed by February 2022,” a representative said in an email to News 6.
However, they added that there was still some permits needed from the city to finish up the changes to the facade.
“Since we are transforming the Pizza Hut building into a Shōwa period-style Japanese house with joined wooden frames we are still waiting for the city’s permit for the exterior refacing. We are so excited and can’t wait to show Orlando Susuru Juju once it’s completed!”
You can see a rendering of what Susuru Juju will look like in the image at the top of the story.
No hard date has been set for the restaurant’s opening.
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The chef and owner of Susuru, Lewis Lin, first announced plans to open the flagship location of the Japanese yakitori restaurant in July.
Susuru’s first location sits at 8548 Palm Parkway near Disney World. The restaurant bills itself as a “Retro-themed izakaya (casual Japanese bar) serving Japanese tapas style fare, charcoal-grilled skewers (yakitori) with craft beers & cocktails,” according to its Facebook page.
The Showa theming refers to an era in Japan that spanned from before World War II to the late 1980s, which saw an explosion of Japanese pop culture that also made its way to the U.S. — such as Godzilla, Ultraman, Gundam and Power Rangers.
The JuJu in the new restaurant’s name refers to the Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound made by grilling meats, according to a news release.
The company said Susuru’s three-year anniversary is coming up and it is planning a celebration event at the end of December or in early January, though it did not offer any details.