BY ANDREW BAILEY
BG Independent News Correspondent
Ninja Hibachi Sushi Steak House opened its doors just days after Ohio was put under a state of emergency due to COVID-19. Over a year later on June 22, they were cutting the ribbon and celebrating properly.
With 10 hibachi grills, a sushi bar, and an alcohol license, manager Darren Lin said that after the “hard pandemic times,” he and owner Muchang Lin are excited to open in the way they imagined when Muchang leased their location at 1080 S. Main St. back in 2018.
But the coronavirus hasn’t been the only struggle they’ve experienced in preparing the restaurant to be open.
After a year of setting up, they had to find a new construction crew in 2019, further pushing back their opening date.
On Mar. 18, 2020, they were serving their first customers.
“Everything was already set up, and we didn’t want to waste any more time opening,” Darren said. “But it was a hard time to open the restaurant,” because they were anticipating the worst.
Three weeks later, they temporarily closed down.
“We had to throw away food that would expire,” Darren said. “We still had to pay rent too, which is hard for a business that isn’t actually open and making money.”
“(Muchang) and I didn’t want to close down, but we had to. It was hard to do after working so hard to get the restaurant ready for opening.”
Muchang and Darren had worked together in the restaurant industry before, and when Muchang offered him the new job, Darren took it because of how well the pair worked together.
They partially reopened in May doing carry out only and limited outdoor seating, which was undesirable for a restaurant that prides itself on the dine-in experience and grilling the food in front of customers.
Finding employees was also hard as well, Darren said. They now have 10 staff members, but finding people who would be willing to leave their homes during the pandemic was tough, meaning Darren and Muchang had to do much of the legwork themselves.
Darren went door to door in August to get signatures to apply for an alcohol license.
It was an endeavor that he said paid off, as they wanted to treat their customers to a memorable dining experience.
The vote for the license passed in November 2020, and they received their license in December.
This was good news for Ninja Hibachi and excited them for the restaurant’s future, Darren said.
And the staff at Ninja Hibachi is ready to serve customers inside, especially after the turnout at the ribbon cutting ceremony.
“People in this area support us. BG customers care about local businesses, and they help us,” Darren said.
He thanked the Bowling Green Fire Department, the Wood County Health Department, and the Wood County Building Inspection for their assistance over the past couple years. He said the BGFD and WCHD were instrumental in making sure their limited indoor seating and outdoor dining was COVID-safe.
And they hope the name Ninja Hibachi sticks with customers too.
Darren said Muchang picked it because customers will associate ninjas with Japan, and they want local residents to know where they can get a unique Japanese dining experience.
They are feeling optimistic about the summer and onward, Darren said. But the lasting impacts of the coronavirus still leave obstacles for them to overcome.
“The prices of vegetables and meat are way up, especially beef,” he said. And he hopes that people still want to dine in at restaurants after over a year of that experience being overshadowed by masks and social distancing.
But the community supported them during their hardest times, and Darren said he knows that support will only grow after the ribbon cutting ceremony.
At the ceremony, Darren and Bowling Green Mayor Mike Aspacher cut the ribbon together, and Darren thanked the crowd and said he looked forward to serving the community, before inviting everyone in attendance to dine on the house.
