Genki Noodles & Sushi in Buckhead has "temporarily closed for renovations." The restaurant, located at 3186 Roswell Road in the heart of the Buckhead bar district, posted signs to their door Friday indicating the closure and directing would-be patrons to the restaurant's other locations in Virginia Highland and Sandy Springs.
An employee at the Genki in Virginia Highland indicated to me that the plan is tohave the Buckhead location reopened in "about two weeks."
Last year the company celebrated 20 years in business. The Buckhead location was the original Genki, having opened in 1996. In 2010, the Sandy Springs location at The Prado opened followed by the Virginia Highland location in 2011, which opened in place of beloved intown eatery Everybody's Pizza.
Genki is owned by Buckhead resident Reid Zeising, whose prior restaurant industry interests include owner of Back Yard Burgers and reportedly an investor in fast casual sandwich chain Cosi. In addition to his restaurant activities, Zeising is also founder and CEO of Cherokee Funding, a firm established in 2011 primarily to provide funding to plaintiffs involved in motor vehicle lawsuits.
There is reason to believe that there may be more to the story than a simple renovation. Despite the fact that the restaurant is expected to reopen in two weeks, there have been no permits filed with the City of Atlanta at the Buckhead address since late 2008.Genki's Facebook and Instagram pages, both previously active with specials and events, have been silent since February 22. Additionally, Genki was represented by Caren West PR up until about a year ago, but is reportedly not currently represented by any firm.
Do you think Genki will reopen? Where is your favorite place for sushi in Buckhead? If Genki does stay closed, what would you like to see open in its place?
Please share your thoughts below.
