General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours

[ookpik]

I have to agree - I think Dake was just way too big of a location.  Smaller building would have been better for them - the discerning sushi lover is much rarer than the AYCE sushi lover.

Big it is/was. But my impression was that they did a lot of non-sushi business at the back. The teppanyaki table always seemed very busy.

I would say the location is very weak.  No street prescence tucked into the back of a parking lot of a suburban style retail plaza.

My guess is this is a case of a good business in the wrong location.

That concerned me too when they opened. But "discerning sushi lovers" don't generally find new places by driving down a "main drag." They rely on word of mouth, media reviews, blogs, etc. then go to the specific location.  

The same applies with local traffic. Those who work or live near King and Victoria would have found Dake one way or the other. Also, perhaps a bit of a stereotype, but sushi seems to be popular with high-tech, high(er) income people. So again that demographic would be attracted to a place like Dake even without a "main drag" location. 

I'd have that all the high-tech businesses in the area would have made for good lunch traffic, meetings catering, etc. too.

But I have no experience in the restaurant business, so what do I know.