Red Tuna Sushi at Tacoma Mall closes, but the restaurant says it plans to reopen

It's unusual for a 200-seat restaurant to open, then close three months later. So what gives with Tacoma Mall's Red Tuna Sushi locking its doors? I'm still trying to figure that out, but as of yesterday, the back door at the Tacoma Mall restaurant was padlocked and there was no activity inside. Diners have reported that the restaurant has appeared closed since Friday.

Here's where things get murky. I couldn't reach Red Tuna by phone, so I messaged via Facebook and received a reply saying, "Due to reconstruction/lease issue, we will be re-open on next month!" I asked for clarification on the reason for the closure, but did not receive a reply. However someone from Red Tuna did clarify via a Facebook message that the restaurant expects to re-open at the end of October. Yesterday, I asked a mall spokesman what was happening at the restaurant, but the spokesman has not yet provided an explanation. I'll update this post when I do hear back.

Red Tuna opened in early June after a six month delay at the Tacoma Mall. It's a conveyor belt sushi restaurant that also serves robatayaki, a rustic style of open-flame Japanese grilling. A first bite visit in June found serviceable sushi with a basic menu like most kaiten sushi restaurants - dressed-up California rolls with different add-ins and toppers. Pricing was competitive with nearby Sushi Revolution, but selection wasn't as robust as Sushi Revolution's maki list. A return visit for robatayaki in July proved less successful - the grilled items were priced high and execution uneven.

I'll update this blog post as I learn more.

This story was originally published September 25, 2012 at 8:29 AM with the headline "Red Tuna Sushi at Tacoma Mall closes, but the restaurant says it plans to reopen ."