Blue C

Great fish, great chefs

In 2003, James Allard, Steve Rosen, and Russell Horowitz opened Blue C Sushi in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. In October of 2011, eight years, six locations and Boom Noodle later, they sold their company Madison Holdings. The new owners, including Horowitz,  plan to take Blue C nationwide, starting with four California openings planned for 2013, followed by eight more locations on the West Coast in 2014.

Dick Dalton was hired as president in 2011. His background includes over 30 years as an executive of The Back Bay Restaurant Group, Inc., which operated 34 restaurants from New Hampshire to Florida. Back Bay was sold a few years ago and Dick was pondering his next move. He and Russell knew each other from years of using the same attorney. One day the attorney called and said he and Russell would like to discuss Blue C. It sounded like fun to Dick and he moved to Seattle from Boston, and began readying Blue C to grow. "We recognize this is a strong concept that is scalable to become a national brand. We're tweaking what the very creative founders of the brand put together," says Dick. Major tweaking comes in the form of internal infrastructure and controls. "The whole first year was spent putting controls in place. That's culture shock for people. We don't want to be corporate America, but these were necessary steps." Physical tweaking includes keeping the look of Blue C, but taking it more upscale with black patent leather upholstery; the look will be more like the 7th Avenue Blue C than earlier locations.

Above: Blue C roll

Dick knew they needed a culinary person to elevate the brand. He met Jeffrey Lunak and they had a shared enthusiasm for Russell's vision of elevating and growing Blue C. Jeffrey came on board in 2012 as Vice President, Culinary. He most recently was the corporate chef for "Iron Chef" Masaharu Morimoto. He was chef de cuisine at Morimoto's first restaurant in Philadelphia, and executive chef at Morimoto Napa. He appeared on the last two seasons of "Iron Chef America" and "United Tastes of America." He helped open Morimoto Waikiki and Mexico City, and coordinated menu development and training of all new chefs in Napa. These experiences all lend themselves to Blue C where he has developed new offerings, upgraded existing items in terms of quality and presentation, and is hiring and training new chefs. "The toughest thing was to attract talented Japanese sushi men," says Jeffrey. "Most don't want to come to kaiten (conveyor belt). It's good in Japan, but corners get cut in the U.S. Sushi is not always an approachable environment; we want to keep the approachability that Blue C has, and bring in more creative, beautifully prepared sushi."

Above: Chicken katsu club sandwich

Blue C's printed menu contains items not on the belt. "We want the menu to focus on items people can't see in front of them," explains Dick. "It gives the element of an a la carte menu. Some items won't hold up after five minutes on the belt. These are the items you want to have made to order. We embrace the belt; it's unique and we're proud of the food. We've created combination plates which are great for people in the bar or sitting at tables away from the belt." A major change is the way they source fish. "We're buying smarter and partnering with local producers and growers who are part of a national buying group. They can handle volume, and deal with environmentally-responsible fishermen." Jeffrey adds, "It took 4-5 months to source the right product and create new relationships. We focused on the three main things: nori, rice, fish. If fish aren't handled right, you can taste the difference. We have long-term contracts with our sources so we both know what to expect. Menus may differ slightly at locations. For instance, geoduck works in Seattle, but it may not elsewhere." Currently, they use line-caught, farmed Atlantic salmon from the Bay of Fundi; Alaskan sockeye; rock shrimp from Northern California and Washington; wild shrimp from Vietnam; Thai snapper; and tuna from Tahiti. "In my mind," says Dick, "there's a remarkable difference in the quality of food all around--the belt and the menu. You can tell the difference."

Above: Blue C cocktail

Blue C has always used a bar code system that scans each plate as it goes by on the belt, so no food overstays its welcome. That scanner is now tied into the POS (point of sale) system, allowing them to give guests a detailed check (not just how many plates at each price, but the actual food purchased). It also allows Blue C to better track exactly what dishes are sold, giving them much better control. "It's more efficient and all works together," says Jeffrey.

Above: Crispy tofu roll

Boom Noodle was purchased along with Blue C, but will remain a local concept. "It won't be noodle-centric," explains Jeffrey. "The menu is evolving; we're expanding it and improving the noodle dishes. We're also working on improving the guest experience. All three locations are being upgraded with new furniture and fixtures. It originally started with communal tables, but none of the locations will have them anymore."

"We have a whole new momentum now which is exciting for everyone," says Dick. "We want to be proud of everything we do, and offer a better restaurant experience. We want every guest to know that I, Jeffrey and every manager, chef, and staff member take what we're doing seriously. We're ready for our next move: the food is there, we've done a major upgrade on service, and we're now less casual and more focused on service."

Connie Adams/May 2013