That’s a wrap!
A Downtown Brooklyn sushi spot staffed by robots officially closed its doors on Monday.
“We had a phenomenal year serving the Metrotech community and are so grateful for all your support and enthusiasm,” said the owners of Big Eye Sushi in a letter to customers. “Food service is an incredibly challenging business in New York and we were ultimately not able to continue operations.”
The Japanese eatery — which had operated in the MetroTech Center since last year — has used sushi-making machines to churn out 400 sushi rolls an hour, allowing the restaurant to cut cost by operating under one sushi chef, rather than four.
The no-wage robots weren’t enough to keep the raw-fish joint afloat, however, as the customers were stunned to see a “closed” sign outside their go-to grub-hub.
“I’m shocked and sad at the same time,” said Aracelis Luna, who works in the MetroTech area. “I used to come here for my spicy tuna rolls every day.”
Luna said she was baffled to see the restaurant close, considering the typically crowded lines at the high-tech restaurant.
“It’s weird that they’re closing because their ratings were good and they were always busy,” she said. “Plus, it hasn’t even been that long since they opened!”
Big Eye Sushi’s closure isn’t the first grab-and-go-style restaurant founded by co-owners Harris Salat and Rick Horiike to close. The restaurateurs shuttered Ganso Ramen in May of 2018, and two of Salat’s past ventures — Sushi Ganso and Ganso Yaki — closed their doors in 2016.
