Hibachi-style Japanese cooking on wheels is how they do things at Hachi Hachi Japanese grill in Ashdown, Ark.
The Ashdown location is the fourth under this brand. The business is co-owned and operated by partners Erlie Lie (pronounced Lee) and Richie Kwan, a Japanese restaurateur from Dallas. The company so far has focused on small towns in choosing their four locations to date.
Hachi Hachi, a food truck, grills chicken, shrimp, steak and noodles as its base. The customer picks other ingredients when it is cooked and served with rice as a plate.
"Hachi Hachi began in El Dorado, Ark., in 2017," Lie said. After that, it was Camden and Magnolia, Ark., and eventually, Ashdown. Lie, who has been in the restaurant business in the 20 years since he graduated from college, reached the point where he was ready to start his own brand. So he and his partner, Kwan, opened Hachi Hachi.
Lee said Hachi is Japanese for the number eight, which to the Japanese as well as the Chinese is a lucky number.
"Hachi is also a reference to a famous dog in Japanese history, a dog known for amazing loyalty," Lie said. "To this day, you can see a statue dedicated to this dog in Tokyo, said to be still waiting for his master."
Small towns are where the partners like to set up Hachi Hachi.
"Towns around 10,000 or so, a little more, a little less, that's where we focus," Lie said. "We fit comfortably in places like that. Plus, Ashdown doesn't have that many restaurants, so we can offer them something different from what is already there. In addition, the people of Ashdown are friendly, nice and welcoming. They make you feel at home. In addition, we get lots of Texarkana people coming to visit us. They ask us if we plan on opening one in their town. All I can say is who knows? Stay tuned."