Highball Sushi (formerly Yuzo)

[bchris02]

The food is good but could have predicted this. Of course, there's some magic that goes into a successful place, but these didn't help IMO:

- Space is too big. Lots of extra square feet they're paying for. Go small, pack in the tables, it's better to run a wait time.
- Windows are too darkly tinted. Even if you're walking by you can't see if anyone is inside. It looks dead.
- Biggest one- No patio. Even if it's just for looks, tables and chairs and an awning say, "We're open, and we're a restaurant." It's square footage you don't pay rent for. Bonus advertising from customers eating outside and looking happy. A block down Cultivar nailed this one.

I agree with this completely. Having a patio (even a small one) would go a long ways. I agree about the tinted windows as well.

I personally think the branding is hurting this. To me, it looks more like a pet store or a frozen yogurt establishment than an upscale sushi restaurant. The logo/branding should portray the kind of restaurant it is. Their website is pretty awful as well.

[Pete]

Yes, shades would have been better than the heavily tinted windows.

It's hard to see lights / life even at night.

[Urbanized]

^^^^^^^^^
This is a major mistake that some restaurants and retailers continue to make downtown. It shows a lack of understanding of how important it is in a walkable area to have a relationship with the sidewalk. The outdoor dining comments were also correct. People want to see other people. By far the best sign for a restaurant in a walkable area is the faces of many patrons actively enjoying a place. FOMO is a real thing.

[bchris02]

^^^^^^^^^
This is a major mistake that some restaurants and retailers continue to make downtown. It shows a lack of understanding of how important it is in a walkable area to have a relationship with the sidewalk. The outdoor dining comments were also correct. People want to see other people. By far the best sign for a restaurant in a walkable area is the faces of many patrons actively enjoying a place. FOMO is a real thing.

I agree. Think of the successful places in the area. Places like Cultivar, Sidecar, Broadway 10, Packards, Red Prime, etc. They all either have outdoor seating or windows that make it easy to see everything going on inside.

[bradh]

the place is insanely cavernous. was my one big negative when we went to it

[soonerguru]

I would encourage those of you speculating about the exterior of the restaurant to actually talk to the owners about it. They had plans to transform the building on the outside and were pushed around by a well-known local resident with connections. Don't shoot the messenger. But be assured that the owners desperately wanted to do something cool on the outside. This is about OKC politics and obtuse snobbery, not a lack of imagination by the ownership.

[Jersey Boss]

I would encourage those of you speculating about the exterior of the restaurant to actually talk to the owners about it. They had plans to transform the building on the outside and were pushed around by a well-known local resident with connections. Don't shoot the messenger. But be assured that the owners desperately wanted to do something cool on the outside. This is about OKC politics and obtuse snobbery, not a lack of imagination by the ownership.

If a business owner follows all the legal and code requirements, how does a well known local resident exert any influence that is contrary to what the owners want? Just curious as to what could happen if they ignored said resident? This is a relevant inquiry, especially if the owners are prevented from displaying the business in the most favorable light of their own vision.

[soonerguru]

If a business owner follows all the legal and code requirements, how does a well known local resident exert any influence that is contrary to what the owners want? Just curious as to what could happen if they ignored said resident? This is a relevant inquiry, especially if the owners are prevented from displaying the business in the most favorable light of their own vision.

There is a history of this in Automobile Alley, without saying more. Take it for what it's worth: the owners of this restaurant had plans for a fun, inviting exterior, and were strongly discouraged by person / persons from doing so. What they have now is not what they wanted to do.

[sooner88]

There is a history of this in Automobile Alley, without saying more. Take it for what it's worth: the owners of this restaurant had plans for a fun, inviting exterior, and were strongly discouraged by person / persons from doing so. What they have now is not what they wanted to do.

The owner of the building is one of the most influential people in Auto Alley - why would he discourage that?

[d-usa]

Why were building designs that met code forced to change to designs that a single person liked better? Same issue/person I would guess.

[TheTravellers]

If the info above is actually true, then Rand Elliott (I'm assuming that's whose name everybody's tiptoe-ing around, but if not, I'll retract my statements) is way too influential and this is just insane that the owners of Yuzo would cave to him. What kind of punishment would there have been if the Yuzo folks would've just said "screw you, we're doing what we want"? This behind-the-scenes-good-ol-boy sh*t sucks.
There, I said it.

[Jersey Boss]

There is a history of this in Automobile Alley, without saying more. Take it for what it's worth: the owners of this restaurant had plans for a fun, inviting exterior, and were strongly discouraged by person / persons from doing so. What they have now is not what they wanted to do.

Your post is way to cryptic. How about naming names and being more specific on ramifications. As it stands now you aren't offering any information.

[Urbanized]

I don't recall any denials at UDC. That said, if the changes involved major alteration to the historic façade - such as sectioning out a wall for instance - it very properly WOULD have been denied at UDC. If someone saw their plans and advised them of this they weren't wrong. In fact, they would be doing them a massive favor and saving them the expense of a losing battle.

Ordinance there would not allow you to make major irreversable structural change to the face of that building, and there are excellent reasons for this. In an effort to be helpful I would tell someone the same thing, and would hate to think that the person I told would twist that into me exerting undue influence.

NONE of that would preclude someone from placing seating, planters or shade structures on the sidewalk in front of this building.

Honestly this sounds like revisionist history or a misunderstanding of the rules by the owner-operator.

[Pete]

Honestly this sounds like revisionist history or a misunderstanding of the rules by the owner-operator.

More likely a misunderstanding by person posting about this.

The biggest mistake -- which may now be difficult to correct -- is the use of dark tint on the windows rather than filtering shades.

The windows make the space seem dead, even at night when there are plenty of people in there.

[Urbanized]

^^^^^^
Yep. Had this discussion on social media yesterday. Dark tinted windows at street level are the kiss of death for restaurants and retail in an urban environment. Here's a resource that discusses the importance of permeability and relationship with the sidewalk: http://betterblock.org/blog/2015/02/...-neighborhood/

A perfect case study for this is Painted Door Gallery in Bricktown. When originally built, it had heavily tinted windows, despite being on the NORTH-facing façade AND being under an overhang. There is literally ZERO chance of direct sunlight. Years later, these were replaced with dramatic purpose-built CLEAR storefront windows, and guess what? Sales jumped dramatically. People want to see inside of a place as they walk by. And in the case of bars and restaurants, seeing other people enjoying a place makes THEM want to be there. It's human nature, which operators and designers inexplicably ignore so, so often.

In the case of Yuzo, they have a bit of a disadvantage in that they have huge windows facing west on a wide street, across from a low building. Sunlight blasts into those windows very late into the evening. But shades are by far the best solution, along with the discipline to open them every possible operating hour in which they can do so.

Also, the lack of on-sidewalk dining is a huge oversight. Both Red Prime and Cultivar managed this, and that seating is a great "we're open" sign, which also manages to soften a hard façade, visually. Same with Sidecar.

[Pete]

All of Rick Dowell's Park Plaza buildings along Walker have those ultra-tinted windows and all those buildings seem dead and empty, when in reality most are pretty full and very much vibrant.

I don't know how any of those windows got approved (including Yuzo) because my understanding is that they are specifically prohibited by the design codes; and if not, they should be.

[Pete]

Look at these windows... They might as well be solid walls:

[Urbanized]

^^^^^
And just as a counterpoint to those who think design ordinance is overbearing and draconian, prohibition of window tint is there as much as anything to protect the business. Yuzo is a perfect example of someone who appears to actually be a pretty great operator - with a great product - but who built out in a way more suited to a suburban location where having a visual relationship with the street/sidewalk and the interior of the building is thoroughly unimportant.

People visit suburban restaurants based on signage, advertising, reputation and sometimes chain appeal. People usually (first) visit restaurants in walkable environments because they walked, biked or drove past and it looked interesting and inviting, and because they saw people having fun and experienced a bit of FOMO. Completely different dynamic.

But of course they DON'T do this if they don't see people, and maybe can't even tell if a place is open. There are too many other great options, often just yards away.

[Urbanized]

Look at these windows... They might as well be solid walls:

Yep. And those shown all have southern exposure. They will RARELY see direct sunlight, and when they do it would probably be welcome, as it would be in the winter. But if not welcome, shades/blinds are perfect.

[Ross MacLochness]

Look at these windows... They might as well be solid walls:

this area has so much potential its crazy.... hard to tell though with the tinted windows, bad landscaping and lack of retail presence. The metropolitan building due south has an amazing west sidewalk that could be filled with tables and chairs, clothes racks etc. the parking lot you see could be a plaza of some kind and all the groud floors of all the buildings has great retail potential. There is already some housing in the area and this is just a few blocks down from the municipal complex and art museum. Really loads of potential.... sorry for getting off topic.

[Urbanized]

One more off-topic post: in the building closest to the camera in that pic, I'm even more troubled by the alteration to what was a really great mid-century commercial structure. At the time Fred Jones Lincoln-Mercury moved from that location to the now-defunct Fred Jones Ford site downtown it was the oldest operating Lincoln-Mercury dealer in the country. The contempt shown for that structure in this renovation makes my blood boil every time I look at it even 15 (or whatever) years down the road.

[Uptowner]

Didn't Yuzo originally want to rip a great big hole in the ceiling, reinforce the joists and make a 10,000sf patio on the roof? I thought it came down to $$$ over code, elevators, etc.

[Pete]

Didn't Yuzo originally want to rip a great big hole in the ceiling, reinforce the joists and make a 10,000sf patio on the roof? I thought it came down to $$$ over code, elevators, etc.

The rooftop was always going to be Phase II; never planned as part of the initial opening.

[gopokes88]

The rooftop was always going to be Phase II; never planned as part of the initial opening.

Never have a phase 2 when opening restaurants/bars. Do or do not. Imagine if the jones assembly patio was phase 2.

[Pete]

Went to Yuzo last night and absolutely loved it, as always.

They have added tables, chairs and umbrellas to the sidewalk out front but they don't have much space to work with out there.

Also, they have some really good food deals for happy hour between 4 and 6: $4 gyoza (which is the best I've ever had) and a bunch of rolls for $9. I had the volcano roll and it was delicious and so much food I didn't finish it. Should have taken a photo of the happy menu because there were quite a few things on there, all very reasonable for the quality and portion sizes.