09/24/2024
💥 Important Update: Closing of Sawa All-You-Can-Eat Sushi & Live Hibachi 💥
Dear customers, it was with a heavy heart that we announce the closing of Sawa All-You-Can-Eat Sushi & Live Hibachi. Officially, it’s been said that the closure was due to two partners leaving the state. However, the two of us believe in transparency, and there’s more to the story.
Sawa was originally the idea of one partner of Tokyo Japan Carencro, that we believe we could trust with our moneys and future. So we created SAWA in hopes of building something unique for our community. Several of us invested substantial amounts, trusting in the leadership of the main owner. We were promised 20% equity in the restaurant, only to later find out that our shares had been reduced to 15%, with the main owner holding 40%—without any clear terms or agreements in place.
Despite these challenges, we gave everything to make Sawa a success. We worked tirelessly to build a positive atmosphere, grow customer support, and increase sales. Unfortunately, the main owner was absent most of the time, leaving the daily responsibilities to us while continually criticizing our efforts. Essential business decisions couldn’t be made without consulting him, and his control over the financials always resulted in losses on paper—leaving us without pay or returns on our investments for three months.
After just a month and a half, we were given the option to close. While we fought to keep Sawa alive, continuing operations for another two months, the reality set in: we were working for someone else’s dream, without any support or compensation, and it became impossible to sustain.
Ultimately, we made the difficult decision to step away. We want to thank everyone who supported Sawa and believed in our efforts. Unfortunately, the main owner is now misrepresenting the situation to gain customers for his other restaurant, Tokyo Japan in Carencro. **Please note that this Tokyo Japan is not affiliated with the other local Tokyo Japans in (Crowley, Jennings, and Eunice).
We wanted to share this to bring clarity to our loyal customers and friends that we served and grew to love over the months. We poured our hearts into Sawa, and we hope you understand the circumstances behind its closure. Thank you for your continued support and to the Owner of Bushido Lafayette for giving our loved employees a new place of employment in their desperate time of need.
