The Sweet Reason A Restaurant's 'Closed' Sign Went Viral
Diners at a Southern California restaurant weren't mad that they had to miss out on chef Genji Sato's food yesterday — due to one very sweet reason. Sato is the owner of Sasabune, a sushi restaurant in Glendale, California, that prides itself on making traditional, high-quality sushi, per its Instagram bio warning that you won't find California rolls on the menu.
While Sasabune is typically open from Monday to Saturday, the restaurant announced in a recent post that the chef would be taking Monday, February 28, off to celebrate a very special occasion, and therefore the business would be closed. Sato told Today that he takes his work very seriously and rarely enjoys time off, going to the fish market at 5 a.m. every day to get the best seafood for his restaurant. His dedication is presumably why so many people were touched by the reason he closed his restaurant this past Monday.
The chef had to take his son to Legoland for his birthday
Last month, Sasabune's Instagram account shared that the restaurant would be closed for one day because Sato and his son would be "going back" to Legoland in California. The photo referenced a similar post from two years ago, in which Sato explained that he would celebrate his son's fifth birthday by taking him to the amusement park. Per Today, this year marked Daiki's first time going back to Legoland in two years; due to the nature of the pandemic in 2021, the family was temporarily unable to partake in the yearly tradition that Sato and his wife, Kaya, started on Daiki's fourth birthday.
Thankfully, this year's Legoland outing was a memorable one of go-kart riding and family photos, Sato told Today. The chef shared that every time he posts about closing the restaurant for his son's birthday, he gets hundreds of positive comments. Things were no different this year, as loads of Sasabune's followers took the time to wish Daiki a happy birthday and praise the chef's annual gesture. Hopefully, the duo ate lots of outrageous theme park desserts — like Legoland's apple fries — to celebrate.