Sekisui takes over shuttered Table 2

photo Table 2 Grill and Lounge in downtown Chattanooga

After five years serving locally sourced food, the Table 2 restaurant in downtown Chattanooga closed Thursday evening.

Sekisui Japanese Restaurant bought the equipment and will lease the space from Amanda Buchanan, owner of Table 2 and the 11th Street building where it was housed. Sekisui will close its location near the Market Street Bridge on Feb. 25 and open closer to the Tennessee Valley Authority campus and Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel in mid-March.

Buchanan was not available Friday. But Michael Carrillo, a manager at the restaurant since opening day, said Buchanan had been stuck running the restaurant since the original owner left a few months after opening. Rather than leaving the space to sit empty, Buchanan ran the restaurant herself. Carrillo said when Sekisui offered to lease the space, it only made sense for her to take the deal.

"They did give it a good run for a very long time, doing their best to keep it open," he said.

Kazu Shibata, owner of Chattanooga's Sekisui, said he's moving his restaurant after 10 years downtown because Table 2's spot has parking. He regularly heard complaints about a lack of parking from regular customers, and hopes many of them will follow him to his new site.

"It's a very nice, big location," he said.

Shibata wouldn't say how much he bought the spot for, but said he'd been discussing the buyout since the end of January. He was asked by Table 2 to wait to reveal the move until after Valentine's Day.

Table 2's 29 employees were told Wednesday the restaurant would likely be sold by Feb. 25. Carrillo said that on Thursday night, employees were told the restaurant is shutting down permanently, but they could expect to be paid up through the 25th.

"We all knew each other really well. We all worked together for a long time. It was just shocking," Carrillo said. "Everyone was just so upset."

Carrillo said he expects servers to find jobs, but he is unsure of the rest of the employee's prospects. He's sad to see the restaurant go, but said he and several of his coworkers are looking forward to starting new careers.

"There are quite a few of us who have been there since college," he said. "With the job market the way it is, it's probably going to be hard for everybody."

Suite 300, a rental unit above Table 2 available for private parties and travelers, will continue to operate without interruption.

Contact Carey O'Neil at coneil@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6525. Follow him at twitter.com/careyoneil.

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