Churasan food truck near ready for storefront opening

By Travis Fischer

Winter weather is coming, but Charles City will still be able to enjoy meals from one of the area’s newest food trucks.

Churasan, which is wrapping up its first season of offering authentic Japanese meals, is nearly ready to open a brick-and-mortar storefront.

“I needed to do something during the wintertime,” said Churasan owner Megumi Abbott. “You can’t really drive a truck around.”

From chicken karaage to sushi rolls, the storefront will offer the same items normally prepared in the food truck for carryout orders. There will be no indoor dining options. Much like the normal food truck experience, customers will be able to come in, place their order, and get it to go.

Abbott is also working on setting up a website for online orders so that people can order ahead.

Customers can prepay online or pay at the counter, but Abbott noted that Churasan is moving to a new credit card processing vendor and that credit transactions will add a surcharge that can be avoided by using cash.

The new space will also give Abbott room to experiment with new menu items. Vegan rolls have already been added to the menu and Abbott is thinking about offering soups.

“I would like to bring in some Asian soups for winter specials,” said Abbott.

The exact hours for the storefront are not yet definite, but Abbott is currently planning to be open for lunchtime on Mondays and Tuesday, dinnertime on Thursdays and Fridays, and possibly weekend hours.

“We’ll have to see how it goes,” she said.

Having a dedicated storefront is a big step for Abbott, who took the plunge in going full time with her food truck business earlier this year. Finding a permanent location has been a long-term project. Abbott has spent the last several months working, with the help of friends and family, to get everything ready. From installing a new prep station to decorating the building with items brought back from Okinawa, Abbott is eager to advance her business to a new stage.

“I’m excited, but I’m nervous at the same time,” she said.

Located at 711 N. Main Street, the storefront will host a grand opening on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m..

“It’s always been my dream to serve customers authentic Japanese food,” said Abbott. “I love how food gets people together. When I moved here, it was hard and food is the way into everyone’s heart.”