Business Spotlight: Saisaki

One would think that the beautiful space and stellar location at 200 E. Main Street would guarantee success for any restaurant, but, curiously, it has been home to a rotation of restaurants over the decades, with so many struggling to thrive. Enter Saisaki (queue sunbeams and angelic chorus) an Asian fusion restaurant that seems to be the perfect fit with a promising future ahead.

When it opened in 2021, Saisaki fulfilled a longing in the Downtown community since its early redevelopment days: fresh sushi and maki rolls. Even though they specialize in sushi and other Japanese fare, Saisaki also offers some Thai favorites, like Tom Yum (a staple hot-and-sour Thai soup) and Tom Kha (another classic hot-and-sour Thai soup that’s richer and creamier thanks to the addition of coconut milk), and a communal hot pot (an eating experience that’s popular in many Southeast Asian countries, where people gather over bubbling broth and add their own proteins, vegetables, sauces etc.).

But the people who run it—Andri Purwanto and Nor Bolos—make Saisaki truly special. They’re savvy, sought-after business owners—by request they just opened their third location in Georgetown—and they put a lot of care into the food and experiences they create. To learn more about their success with Saisaki (and their other locations—Nori and Miyabi), and how they ended up in Downtown Fort Wayne, we spoke with Nor.

Meet Nor Bolos of Saisaki!

Molly: You opened Saisaki back in 2021. And that kind of filled a void. Downtown Fort Wayne didn’t have a sushi restaurant for the longest time, and the community really wanted one. What led you and your business partners to open up in Downtown Fort Wayne?

 

Nor: Actually, we didn’t know anything about this spot. Nori (nori is a Japanese word for the dried seaweed used to wrap sushi) on Dupont Road was our first restaurant, and we weren’t looking to start another restaurant. But one day, Ms. Rachel, a realtor who’d regularly meet clients for sushi, asked us about it. She said, “I have a spot Downtown, would you want to see it? Different restaurants have come and gone, but nobody makes it there for long, so we’re looking for something different—something that’s not an American restaurant, because there are already so many American restaurants Downtown.”

I guess she really liked our sushi!

Molly: Guess so! When you saw the spot, what attracted you to it? What made you want to open a second location there?

Nor: Actually, we didn’t like the idea at first.

At the time, we had just recovered from COVID. The whole family got it, but my husband had it for almost three months and was really, really sick. I didn’t work for two months, and my husband didn’t work for almost three months. So when we first saw this location, we had just reopened Nori, and it was just too much. I said, “There’s no way we could afford this; the rent is too expensive.”

After a few months the owner came back to us and said, “We really need someone in there. It’s been vacant since before COVID. We will work with you.”

So they agreed to our price. Then we found out that the rent included the liquor permit. And that’s how we ended up opening Saisaki.

Molly: What’s it like being in the Downtown community? Has the community really embraced you?

Nor: The whole Fort Wayne community has embraced us. When we first opened Nori, we had been living in West Virginia. We had driven to Michigan for vacation, and on our way home to West Virginia…uh…we got lost. We got off on the Dupont exit and we saw this spot for sushi for rent. We decided to try it out, and that’s how we became a part of the Fort Wayne community.

We soon learned that Fort Wayne is very supportive of local restaurants. To help market our new business, we brought samples to offices, hospitals, and clinics in the Dupont area. And then when COVID hit, everybody closed down, but we were able to stay open because it was just us: my husband was the cook and I ran the front. So we stayed open for to-go orders and survived, and then everybody knew about us.

When we opened Downtown, people already knew about our sushi. Now we’re closer for people who want sushi, but don’t want to spend their lunch break driving to Dupont.

Molly: It’s a smart location and it sounds like you’re smart business owners.

Nor: You know, the difference is we’re owners who are also working in the restaurants, compared to owners who are not working. If you’re holding onto your business because it’s also your job, you’re creating a job for yourself. You’re more invested. And you’ll be able to stay in business more easily.

Molly: Speaking of being invested, I want to congratulate you on opening another location. Miyabi, right?

Nor: Yeah, in Georgetown! Like with Saisaki, we didn’t have any plan of opening a new restaurant, but the owner, the property manager of Georgetown came here—I don’t know how many times they came in—and they said they liked the ambiance of Saisaki, and wanted something like that in Georgetown, because most of the restaurants are mostly to-go and express.

So the owner—they’re from Wisconsin—came here and met with us. Again we were reluctant, but they were so nice. They helped with some of the expenses and renovations because it’s an old building, and that’s how we were able to do it.

Molly: That speaks volumes. I feel like people keep seeking you out and asking you to open up more restaurants.

Nor: Yes, actually, you know, the counterpart of Greater Fort Wayne in Auburn, I’m talking every time there’s an opportunity, a unit or a building that’s looking for some tenants, they always get in touch with us, they call and they call.

Molly: It must feel nice to have such avid supporters. Going back to Saisaki, I know that you offer a lot more than just sushi. For instance, I’ve heard really great things about some of your food experiences, like your sushi making classes. You also have a family-style hot pot. What inspired you to branch out into different cuisines and experiences?

Nor: We’ve offered the hot pot since a few months after we opened. The concept originally popped up because it was brutally cold that winter.

Molly: Hot pot is such a cozy, communal meal.

Nor: Exactly! And we used to have a menu for Thai foods. We used to have curry, we used to have a lot of choices for Thai foods. But when we took them out, a lot of people asked for our tom yum and tom kha. So we put it back on our menu. And then my husband said, a lot of people want our soup; why don’t we do hot pot? Saisaki was actually the first restaurant to offer hot pot in Fort Wayne.

The sushi class was my husband’s idea even before our very first restaurant. But because our partners didn’t like the idea, we weren’t able to implement it. With Saisaki, though, we have just one partner, who trusts our judgment. So we were able to finally implement it here and it’s a hit. We teach the class every single Saturday at noon, and it’s often fully booked weeks or months in advance.

Molly: Wow! That’s really popular!

Nor: Yes! And on days other than Saturday, people can book private classes for six or more people.

Molly: What are some of your favorite menu items that you wish people would try more often?

Nor: I really like our hot pot, because it’s a lot of food for the money. It’s $40, which sounds like a lot, but with hot pot, there are noodles, vegetables, beef, and seafood—calamari, mussels, and sashimi-grade salmon and red snapper. That’s a lot of ingredients. It’s so much that you will end up bringing it home.

We take a lot of pride in our tom yum and tom kha, both deeply flavorful and nutritious soups, because we make them from scratch.

The sushi boat combo is also a great value, with four specialty rolls for $40. The food I like the most is the sushi itself. Since this is my work, and I have had restaurants for such a long time, I don’t always eat sushi. But the Hiroshima roll is my personal favorite. I also like the seared salmon.

Molly: Is there anything else you want people to know about Saisaki?

Nor: I also want people to know we are a family owned business. My husband creates all of the menus, we make everything from scratch, and we don’t add MSG.

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See Saisaki’s full menu, make reservations, and order to-go at saisakifw.com, or call (260)-739-5286 for dining and sushi class reservations.