Ampersand Asian Supper Club will close its Short North location Sunday. Credit: Sandra Fu | Managing Photo Editor
Ampersand Asian Supper Club, a local restaurant that serves ramen and rice bowls, among other Japanese cuisines, will shut down its original Short North location Sunday.
The news was announced Sept. 12 in an Instagram post, attributing their closure to challenges they’ve faced throughout the past six years.
“When we first opened [in] June 2019, we were really busy,” Megan Ada, owner of Ampersand, said in an email. “It was great! Line out the door! Then [COVID] happened 8 months later and it never came back. We didn’t have enough time to gain the momentum to get people to know us.”
Ada said she and Joshua Cook, her husband and executive chef of Ampersand, wanted to keep their concept alive, opening an Ampersand and a tea house, Asterisk Supper Club, in Uptown Westerville. Ada said they plan to focus on their Westerville locations, which she said have been successful.
“We have so many regulars that have shown us so much love and expressed how much they are sad we are closing and will be sure to visit our new Westerville location,” Ada said. “The problem was that we didn’t have enough people come and try it. Because once they did, they would become regulars!”
The Westerville location will offer the same menu as the Short North, meaning fans of the restaurant will still be able to order their favorite meals, Ada said.
Ada said the decision has been weighing heavily on her and Cook throughout the restaurant’s operation, finally making the difficult decision to close their original location. Though they do not currently have plans to further expand their business, Ada said they’ll see where the future takes them.
”We’ve truly appreciated all our amazing regulars and out of town-ers that wish there was an Ampersand in their city,” the post says. “It’s been a joy to serve you and be a part of the Short North community.”
