JC Gutierrez Jr. allows shoppers Nina Nguyen and Colin Ernst, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, at Don Japanese Kitchen area. Gutierrez and Edward Sumner are the only workforce at Don and delight in serving up dishes to their typical consumers.
Driving up the hill on LBJ Generate, there is a cafe where by consumers are greeted with a entrance door decked out in graphic stickers and a dining room in which colourful umbrellas hold from the ceiling.
Orders of rice containers overflowing with taste and co-house owners committed to serving their group are the foundation of the neighborhood eatery recognized as Don Japanese Kitchen area.
Edward Sumner, 28, from Sugar Land, Texas, and JC Gutierrez Jr., 29, from Laredo, Texas, started off Don as a foods truck in Austin but at some point designed San Marcos the property for their restaurant location in Might 2019. Considering that the restaurant’s opening, learners and the neighborhood have loved a selection of Japanese affected foods at an inexpensive rate.
“We preferred to open a restaurant that was a nutritious substitute from speedy food stuff but was nevertheless really reasonably priced,” Gutierrez Jr. mentioned. “College or university learners are by now paying so significantly on tuition and housing there really should be a far better choice to healthful, very affordable food stuff.”
JC Gutierrez Jr. holds a box of Don’s fried chicken, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, at Don Japanese Kitchen area. Gutierrez and Edward Sumner constructed the resturant by hand and now co-personal the business.
Living down the corridor from just about every other in their dormitory at the College of Texas at San Antonio, Sumner and Gutierrez Jr. fulfilled their freshman yr and became near friends. At the time, the duo worked careers in the fast-foods market which sooner or later motivated them to want to venture additional into the foods company.
Sumner afterwards transferred to the University of Texas at Austin. On the other hand, he preserved frequent contact with Gutierrez Jr. Throughout that time, Sumner developed the idea for the Japanese kitchen.
Sumner and Gutierrez Jr. opened their San Marcos site simply because they felt it was a little something pupils and the neighborhood required. Transferring ahead, Sumner claims they have been thinking about generating their San Marcos area the principal hub of their institution in advance of growing to other spots.
“The neighborhood right here is priceless, and we couldn’t talk to for something much better,” Sumner said. “We didn’t want to phase on anyone’s toes when we to start with opened we have so a lot respect for the mom and pop stores in San Marcos and root for them so a great deal.”
JC Gutierrez Jr. assists consumers purchase, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, at Don Japanese Kitchen area. Don’s gives a array of meals which include steak, rooster, tofu and a lot more.
Whilst younger business people, Sumner and Gutierrez Jr. have worked difficult to get to the place they are. In advance of embarking on the journey of running their own cafe, Gutierrez Jr. worked as the youngest kitchen area supervisor at a restaurant in Austin even though Sumner labored two jobs as a line prepare dinner and even donated plasma.
After only a yr of working their food stuff truck in Austin, Sumner and Gutierrez Jr. found them selves advertising out practically each individual night time. In point, marketing out transpired so generally they would at times close for a couple of several hours to prepare food stuff in advance to feed hungry shoppers.
“To set the size [of the food truck] into point of view, our kitchen now was the dimension of our overall foods truck,” Gutierrez Jr. stated.
Though COVID-19 has impacted smaller organizations and eating places during the state, Sumner and Gutierrez Jr. stay dedicated to providing fantastic provider to their consumers and have presented any menu item for free to senior citizens.
Currently being of Japanese heritage, Sumner claims the inspiration from the menu stemmed from wanting to make dishes clients would love and meals his mother cooked for him rising up.
All of Don’s dishes are manufactured in-home and ready by Sumner. Each dish starts off with a mattress of white rice, ginger and whatever protein the consumer would like to insert. Well known dishes include things like #4 Beef, #5 Pork Tummy and #6 Kara-age/Nan-ban. The cafe is presently functioning on acquiring its beer and liquor permits to grow its menu.
A box of Don beef ribeye steak, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, at Don Japanese Kitchen area. The egg, which is cost-free of charge the 1st time a person orders it, has been sous vide and Sumner suggests mixing it in with the rice.
Gutierrez Jr. states his beloved dish is #6 Kara-age/Nan-ban, and he encourages individuals to buy if they have difficulty determining. It capabilities a serving of large popcorn hen that has been marinated in a garlic sesame soy sauce for at the very least four several hours. The tender and taste-filled protein is served alongside frivolously-fried potatoes, teriyaki sauce and a sweet and sour glaze.
Lucy Ross, a social perform sophomore, visited Don for the 1st time in November and requested #2 Terriyaki Rooster. She suggests her introduction to the cafe was sudden and random but turned out to be a unforgettable working experience.
“This is the 1st time I’ve been right here, and I will be coming in this article additional generally,” Ross stated. “I didn’t know this cafe was in this article right until my friend ordered get out and allow me check out a chunk of their meals yesterday I came to order for myself these days.”
Just like the menu, Don Japanese Kitchen’s decor is really substantially genuine. Parts this sort of as the umbrellas hanging from the ceiling to the wooden grain tables in which prospects sit down for a meal were all handmade by Sumner and Gutierrez Jr. The open up dining space allows prospects to get a glimpse inside of the kitchen area wherever all the magic transpires.
“The main cause consumers are able to see straight through the kitchen area is due to the fact chef (Sumner) loves to interact with the men and women who are shopping for and striving his foodstuff,” Gutierrez Jr. stated. “It will make the entire knowledge additional individual and makes it possible for staff members to interact with regulars.”
Don Japanese Kitchen area is positioned at 829 N. LBJ Generate. For additional details about Don Japanese Kitchen area and up-to-date hours of procedure pay a visit to its Facebook or Instagram.