Joseph Lee, the owner of Shogun Inc., which operates Shogun Japanese Grill & Sushi, officially opened in its new digs at 20 N. Raymond Road, in Spokane Valley, on Aug. 19.

Since then, Lee says, the restaurant has experienced a phenomenon that his previous location at 821 E. Third never had, walk-in customers.

“The neighborhood is right there,” says Lee, pointing north of the new restaurant location.

A series of apartment complexes two blocks north have drawn a steady stream of walk-ins after barely two weeks being open, he says.

The long-time hibachi-style restaurant closed April 18, 2018 when it was destroyed by a fire. Shogun originally was located in the Valley and moved near downtown Spokane in 2004,
Lee says.

Lee bought the 8,000-square-foot building last October for $700,000.

“The overall space isn’t as big as the building that was on Third,” Lee says. “But because of its open space, customers have said that this location feels like it’s bigger.”

The new location also has a patio that so far has been used seldomly. A grand-opening party is planned for Nov. 27.

Lee says he has re-hired nearly all of the 22 employees who were working at the prior restaurant site.

“We need more employees,” he says. “We need chefs, bartenders, waitresses, and cashiers. And preferably we need workers who can do several different tasks.”

Shogun is open 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.