When The Country Club of Virginia was forced to unexpectedly close one of its restaurants, Ollie’s, for renovations, the Richmond, Va., club turned it into an opportunity to provide a sushi popup experience for members—and hands-on learning for the culinary team.
“We started the sushi pop up about a week into renovations,” says Executive Chef Andrew Haapala. “We’d expected [Ollie’s] to be closed for about a week, and it ended up being closer to two months.”
Ultimately, through the renovation, the club was able to retain all of its staff, as well as 65% year-over-year sales.
“The original goal was just to offer the members something while we were down. Initially we thought [it would be] a week. We’d shut the restaurant down. It’ll be okay. But then [we thought], how do we offer them something that’s interesting, that makes them want to come in, and that they’ll be pleased with?”
While the club does make sushi for features sometimes, as well as in banquets, it had never offered a full sushi or Japanese menu before.
“We’ve always wanted to do it bigger,” says Haapala. “We’re probably going to implement it this year, adding some equipment and some infrastructure because [the popup] was such a hit.”
Keep It Approachable
The popup used the Ollie’s dining room, but a different kitchen, due to renovations. Training was relatively simple, Haapala says. The team started small with the menu, then added to it.
“We took the core team [and] taught them a few rolls,” he explains. “When it was time to kick off, everybody had a pretty good idea of what they were doing. And with an abbreviated menu, we had some extra hands for the extra touches that sushi [requires].”
Haapala has a significant amount of sushi experience, dating back decades to his time at Baltimore Country Club.
“I’m not formally trained under a true sushi chef,” Haapala says, “but I’ve rolled a lot of rolls in my life.”
The popup menu started with five sushi rolls, then expanded to seven, plus a few additional Japanese entrees. There were tried-and-true favorites, like a California roll and a tuna roll, as well as some featured options, like a fried oyster roll, a nod to one of the menu items the club is known for.
“We offered the basics while also having some fun features in there to spice it up,” notes Haapala. “We did soba one night, ramen, miso soup, things like that.”
Haapala recommends chefs looking to start a sushi popup to keep it approachable. Other popups and features the club has tried include tostadas, brisket, and wood-fired oysters.
“It’s a win whenever you can offer members a service when you’re in a bad position,” says Haapala. “You have to look at it as an opportunity.”
