Consider this the best news you’ll hear all week.
Soju, the much-loved Korean American restaurant in Garfield, will be re-opening for dinner service on Tuesday, March 11.
The Garfield eatery has been closed since early January, when a pipe burst inside of the restaurant, causing massive damage.
“We have a vacant space upstairs, and we don’t really go up there a lot,” says chef and owner Simon Chough. “So, we didn’t realize that something malfunctioned in the heater, and furnace shut off. It got really cold, and a pipe froze… then it got warm again, and the pipe totally burst.”
Unfortunately, that happened on a Monday, when Soju was closed.
“We weren’t at the shop all day, and I got a call from a neighbor that there was water coming out of the front door of the building,” he says.
Chough rushed to the space, and found that the two bottom floors had completely flooded.
Those entire spaces were unsalvageable.
“We had to redo everything,” says Chough. “The drywall, all of the electric, the HVAC – everything had to be pulled out and put back in.”
Chough hired a professional disaster restoration company that specializes in drying out spaces with dehumidifiers and industrial fans. Once that process was complete, the rest of the construction could begin.
And now, after two months of labor, the restaurant is almost ready to re-open.
“We’re pretty much right on schedule,” Chough says. “It took about as long as I expected it would, so I’m grateful for that.”
He’s also grateful for the community support that he and his staff received during the closure. Because Chough’s insurance didn’t cover lost wages and revenue, he launched a GoFundMe campaign to help his employees, raising almost $16,000 to support his staff.
When Soju reopens, there won’t be many noticeable differences, at least at first.
“We’re going to slowly make some changes to the menu eventually, but right now, we’re just concentrating on getting back up and running, and back on schedule,” Chough says.
That means that guests will be able to enjoy everything from Chicken Katsu and Bulgogi, to BiBimBap and Kimchijeon.
The restaurant will be open five nights a week for dinner, Tuesday through Thursday from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Dine-in service, and takeout is available.
Soju (4923 Penn Avenue)
Leave a Reply