Their house wine was listed in two different places in the wine menu, with two different prices. The wine list, for a French restaurant, was fairly short on French wines, and what they had was expensive. I wouldn’t be where I am today without our customers and our community.I have been here before and was underwhelmed. “When we opened Chez Yasu, we took a calculated risk,” she said. A fine arts major in college, she never envisioned a career as a restaurateur. Hatasawa retired five years ago, and Ueno has continued the work they started. The restaurant is also a popular location for celebrating anniversaries, rehearsal dinners, milestone birthdays and other occasions.
Ueno loves seeing younger customers experience the restaurant for the first time and their choruses of “we’ll be back” remind her “to do a better job with social media.”Ĭustomers comprise neighborhood residents, legislators, travelers and individuals attending private parties hosted by Washburn University, pharmaceutical companies and other organizations. “Because we know each other so well, they come here to eat and they don’t feel lonely,” she said. Many regulars are elderly and those who are widowed often continue to come to Chez Yasu for sustenance in all its forms. Those relationships were especially helpful during the pandemic when many customers bought gift cards and ordered takeout to help keep the restaurant afloat. “My son, who is 19 now, grew up here and we’ve all been lucky to make really good friendships.” “We have wonderful employees who sometimes leave for a time to get married or have children and then come back because they love our customers and our customers love us,” said Ueno. It’s the bonds that have been created through nearly two decades of dining. “It wasn’t just about eating because you were hungry like it sometimes is in the United States.”īut it’s not only the Boeuf Bourguignon and baguettes that have made Chez Yasu a beloved bistro. “I grew up going to nice restaurants in Japan where dining is more of an experience with beautiful plates even for everyday cooking,” she said. In addition to taste, Ueno strives to ensure that texture, color and presentation appeal to the senses too.
“During COVID, they lined up to get it to go.” “People are addicted to that soup,” said Ueno. The yellow squash soup is a particular favorite.
“We serve really good food and everything’s from scratch, which works better with a smaller menu.” “Our customers know what they like and find our consistency comforting,” said Ueno. Ueno and Hatasawa relied on word-of-mouth recommendations to promote their restaurant, which found success in offering a limited menu of crowd-pleasing French favorites. “It was stressful, but it worked out,” she said. In a surprise twist, after 10 unsuccessful years to become pregnant, Ueno found out shortly after she signed the contract for the restaurant that she was pregnant. “Buying a former restaurant that already came with tables and chairs and a commercial kitchen made the risk more manageable.” “I was really excited to bring a nice restaurant to the neighborhood, but I knew it was risky,” she said. After Aria assessed the space as a “once in a lifetime opportunity,” she and Hatasawa opened Chez Yasu in December 2004. While driving around her Westboro neighborhood, she found a former restaurant available for lease. Ueno often lamented the lack of local restaurants in Topeka in her conversations with Hatasawa.
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