UTC restaurant closing but 'not leaving' after 10 years, owner says

A sushi restaurant with a location at University Town Center for 10 years will close its restaurant there in September and is scouting for its next spot in the popular shopping and dining district. Jpan Sushi & Grill is shuttering at 229 N. Cattlemen Road after Sept. 13, the business announced on social media.

“But it’s not goodbye,” Jpan owner Daniel Dokko says in an Aug. 26 Facebook video. “We are working very closely with Benderson to find the next Jpan at UTC, so stay tuned. We’re not leaving.”

Benderson Development owns the Cattlemen Road property Jpan Sushi & Grill had been leasing, along the circle near Blaze Pizza. The East Manatee County-based development company built and owns the UTC district. 

Jpan's 10-year lease at the Cattlemen Road location expired, according to Benderson spokesperson Julie Fanning.

"They’ve been wonderful partners over the years and a great addition to the UTC dining scene," Fanning says in an email. "While the details are not yet finalized, we’ve been working with them to relocate to another space nearby and can share more details once those plans are confirmed."

The announcement that Jpan Sushi & Grill is searching for a new space in the UTC area comes days after Dokko says he received more messages than he had ever gotten in his life following news of the UTC restaurant's closure.

“It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our last day at the UTC location will be Sept. 13,” Jpan had posted on social media Aug. 24. “It has been such a special place for us for the last amazing 10 years, and we’re incredibly grateful for all the memories, support and wonderful people we’ve met along the way.”

For fans of the brand, there is an alternate place to dine until it finds its next UTC spot: Jpan Sushi & Grill also has a location at Siesta Row at 3800 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. In addition, Dokko owns two other restaurants in the area — Kuro Sushi Bar at 8126 Lakewood Main St., Unit 102, which opened in November in Lakewood Ranch, and Kore Steakhouse at 1561 Lakefront Drive, Suite 111, in Waterside Place, which has been open since 2022.