Umi Star, the 18-month-old innovative Asian-fusion restaurant on North Campbell Avenue, closed today.
But ownerΒ Β Jason Anderson says it's not a forever closing. He and his partners are looking for a bigger space and plan reopen Umi Star, although they have no timeline in mind.
The closing comes several months after Anderson invested money to renovate Umi Star, Β 2502 N. Campbell Ave., and rejigger the menu. Umi Star was closed for two months last summer and reopened Sept. 30.
βIt was kind of crappy timing, but also a blessing in disguise," said Anderson. "Yeah it sucks that I just invested all the money into redesigning and rebranding. But ... this needs to be in a bigger space for it to compete and for it to do what it needs to do.β
Anderson said he is partnering in a new fast-casual concept set to open in the Umi Star space. He wouldn't comment on specifics, but said he hoped to have it open by mid-March.
Meanwhile, Anderson is focusing on his newest venture, Nox, which is set to open Feb. 1 in the old Cafe Jasper space,Β 6370 N. Campbell Ave.
See the full story in Thursday's Star.