A co-owner of a Japanese hibachi steakhouse that opened in Ellsworth earlier this year is expanding with a food truck in Old Town next month.
Lalu Dedi Sutanto, one of three co-owners of Crazy Sumo in Ellsworth, plans to open the food truck next month, though he is waiting on his state license to announce an opening date. Ninja Japanese Express will be parked at 757 Stillwater Ave.
Sutanto considered opening another Crazy Sumo in Greater Bangor, but a food truck will allow him to experiment and see what the community’s response will be, he said. The mobile business will offer hungry residents and University of Maine students a new place to grab quick, delicious meals during the week, he said.
“If people are interested in the food truck, there is an old Dunkin’ Donuts building that could be turned into a restaurant,” he said, referring to the vacant lot where the truck will be stationed. “Before making a big investment, I want to see how this goes with the locals.”
The food truck’s offerings will be similar to Crazy Sumo’s menu, though simplified to focus on favorites that can easily be packed to-go, Sutanto said.
That includes hibachi and teriyaki dishes, which come with a protein, rice and vegetables. These are customizable, and customers can choose between chicken, scallops, shrimp and steak, Sutanto said. Speciality sushi rolls will also be available.
Sutanto said he has hired a team to run the food truck from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. He expects business to slow down in the winter when people may not want to trek outside during frigid temperatures, so he intends to offer delivery services.
Sutanto moved from Bali, an island in Indonesia, to the United States in 2002. He has worked as a chef at restaurants across the country since then, focused primarily on Japanese cuisine, he said. He worked in Chicago, Illinois, before moving to Maine in 2021.
Eventually Sutanto realized he wanted to share good food with people and be his own boss, which is how his journey as a restaurant owner began.
“My great-great-great grandfather was from Kobe, Japan,” he said. “So my Japanese blood goes back three generations, but that’s the connection.”