Robata wraps up details, the hood was the hold-up

Final touches were being added Monday to Robata, the sushi, ramen and yakitori restaurant set to open soon in the former Church’s Chicken building in Maplewood.

Silent partner, Paul Hrebec, was overseeing the work. He said they have passed the inspections; the only thing remaining is wheelchair ramps to the entrance and the fenced patio area.

Hrebec said the months-long delay in opening was due to where a new hood should go.

“The two inspectors, health and building, had an issue where our hood needed to be,” he said. “This restaurant never had a hood in it before, believe it or not Church’s Chicken didn’t need a hood. They finally decided the only place we could put it was right in the middle of the kitchen.”

As a result, everything had to be redrawn and redone. “We had hoped to put the hood up in the corner — something about wood walls — who’d have thought.”

Hrebec said at the risk of jinxing it, he hopes to open on Thursday.