“Save again!” read beloved Japanese restaurant Domo’s Facebook when they announced their reopening earlier this month.
DOMO has resided on Osage Street for 26 years. But the Japanese country restaurant went viral in July 2021 when a TikTok video showed off the restaurant’s ambient dining room and outdoor lawn, which owner Gaku Homma has as a favorite. Although the video was only 40 seconds long, it caused many people to line up outside the DOMO door the next day, extending wait times from about 30 minutes to 3 hours.
Although the video probably had natural intentions, it turned out to be either a blessing or a curse for Homma, his team, and the restaurant. The outsized reaction to the video caused frustration among consumers and staff, leading to the restaurant being open only 3 days a week with a maximum capacity of 20 people. However, when the Omicron variant of COVID-19 emerged in January 2022, Domo temporarily closed its doors for an extended period.
While the decision to temporarily close the restaurant was aimed at protecting the health and protection of staff and its consumers, Homma encouraged his followers and consumers that DOMO would return at some point in the long run with the same quality and attention to its cuisine. During the shutdown, DOMO remained a site serving the network locally and overseas, adding the monthly meal allowance at Denver and Bilay House in Myanmar through one of its core missions: “Dine at DOMO and Feed the World,” which echoes the philosophy of undeniable Japanese dishes and inspiring communities. This is the foundation on which Homma built when he came up with the new restaurant concept in March of this year.
Although her life’s work is centered around Aikido, Homma wrote on Facebook: “It makes me smile and warms my heart to be able to help other people feel satisfied with what I cook and serve. With that in mind, Homma’s plan for DOMO’s reopening follows a more lenient strategy toward the full-service dining venue with a smaller menu and new, original recipes.
The dining spot will feature displays of ancient artifacts, the Japanese lawn, and the adjacent Aikido Nippon Kan. Restaurateurs will find that the interior is incredibly durable, with wood sourced from trees as close as the trees on the lawn upstream of Cherry Creek, piles of slabs that were randomly on the assets when purchased, and even a beam from an old high-rise building. All of those features combine to give the dining place a rustic, weathered feel that mimics the feel of the food they serve.
At 73, Homma admits that her age is a hindrance to her movements in the kitchen, but not to the quality of the dishes she serves. With this reopening, it asks consumers to be from the new small-scale establishment, which will have a maximum dining capacity of 20 people.
DOMO is now open at 1365 Osage St. , Denver, and is open Monday through Saturday, 11 a. m. M. A 2:30 p. m. , lunch only and walk-ins. DOMO informs its consumers that the dining place will possibly close before 2 p. m. m. , depending on the length of the waiting list.
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