UZUMAKI Revolving Sushi opened at Yorktown Center in Lombard on Oct. 6, bringing conveyor-belt dining and robot servers to the mall.
The Lombard Chamber of Commerce hosted the ribbon-cutting at 11:30 a.m. at 326 Yorktown Center. The ceremony started with a traditional lion dance set to pounding drums in Center Court. Rick Galfano, executive director of the Lombard Chamber, picked up a ceremonial guandao and struck a kung fu pose, drawing cheers from the crowd, according to the chamber's account of the event.
The restaurant's concept centers on a conveyor belt that carries sushi and small plates past diners' tables. Special orders arrive by a miniature "bullet train" track, and robot servers handle tableside delivery. The menu includes nigiri, sushi rolls, sashimi, edamame, soups and options for children, according to a Yorktown Center announcement from July 2023.
The first 100 customers on opening day received free boba tea. The first 50 got 50% off à la carte dine-in orders, according to the chamber's event listing.
The Lombard location is the second for the brand. The other is in Rockville, Maryland. A 2023 Yorktown Center announcement said the Lombard restaurant would be similar to the Maryland location. Franchiser Jimmy Chen told What Now Chicago at the time that architectural plans were still being evaluated.
The Lombard Village Board passed an ordinance on May 21 adding one Class "A/B-I" liquor license for Uzu Lombard, LLC, doing business as UzuMaki Revolving Sushi at 326 Yorktown Mall Drive. The ordinance passed on an expedited schedule, waiving its first reading.
The restaurant joins a string of new tenants at Yorktown Center. Shaw Local reported in June that several new retailers had opened at the 1.2-million-square-foot mall, including Dick's Going, Going, Gone, Comic Forge and Akira. Pacific Retail Capital Partners and Synergy Construction have also broken ground on a redevelopment of the former Carson's anchor space, a project calling for roughly 600 residential units and a community park called The Square.
