Jacknife aims to be a ‘fast, convenient and healthy’ option

If you had advised Tanya Zhykharevich two yrs back that she would be opening a new restaurant in March of 2022, she would not have thought you.

She and her organization lover Jack Yip have been set into “survival mode” when the pandemic strike, desperately attempting to adapt their initially cafe, Red, to meet the demands of folks who did not want to dine in. They settled on a curbside decide-up choice for their sushi and Japanese fare menu at the West Washington Avenue restaurant, and that has remained preferred for the earlier two decades. All through the ebb and flow of pandemic constraints, Zhykharevich suggests she commenced to recognize choose-up orders had been right here to stay.

“We have a definitely sturdy takeout business enterprise at Pink, but that’s by no means been our small business model,” Zhykharevich claims.

She claims Crimson has come to be more of a destination restaurant — the tasteful eating home and dish presentation help make it a memorable meal  — but that practical experience was shed with swift decide-up orders clients wanted. The notion for Jacknife was born out of that realization. Zhykharevich says more youthful generations are wanting for wholesome food choices that are just as practical as getting a burger from a area like McDonalds.

“Jacknife is a young version of Crimson, it is [for] a new era of speedy casual [diners] that have more strength and lengthy-time period aims,” Zhykarevich says. “[A Jackknife] is a instrument in your pocket, ready to go and enable you. It is speedy and it’s effortless, similar as Jacknife the cafe.”

Jacknife, which opened very last Monday on East Washington Ave., aims to deliver that benefit to the shopper whilst nonetheless providing balanced and tasty food like Pink. Jacknife delivers a few approaches to get — at the counter, on the web page or at kiosks in close proximity to the front doorway. Customers can try to eat in keep, choose up their food items from a selected food items locker to delight in at home, or select up from a curbside push-through technique.

“It just goes back to efficiency, we required to offer a way for all our company to get and pick up food in a way that helps make them most comfy,” Zhykharevich claims. “So it goes again to how to feed into people’s lives and schedules the most effective we can.”

Jacknife has 3 means to purchase: at the counter, at a kiosk around the front doorway or on the web. (Image by Nathan Denzin)

Balanced Eats
The menu at Jacknife is built close to three key sections: home made dumplings, sushi rolls and bowls. Zhykharevich suggests the Pear Tension roll — a roll with salmon, pear, hemp hearts and an orange miso glaze — has been a fan favorite through the to start with days, with the steamed pork dumpling near powering.

You are going to only uncover 5 kinds of fish on the menu the entrepreneurs say they want consumers to be capable to choose their food without the need of way too a lot pressure.

“The idea for Jacknife originated from what we know, which is sushi, and we certainly desired to emphasize that portion,” Zhykharevich suggests.

She suggests that even though sushi is probably even now the most important attract on the menu, Jacknife aims to have far more choices to people who might not like raw fish. Along with the dumplings, Jacknife gives a wide variety of bowls, in which prospects have the choice to choose their base and protein.

“As a great deal as I really like sushi — and I genuinely enjoy sushi — I’m in like with our bowls,” Zhykharevich suggests. “They are just so fulfilling. As well as you are not meant to consume sushi day-to-day, so it is excellent to combine it up.”

Jacknife also has a children menu that incorporates buttered noodles and chicken teriyaki bites. 

Neighborhood Reaction
By the initially 7 days, Zhykharevich states she couldn’t have asked for a much better response from the group.

“It’s been so great to see how welcomed we have been by people today,” she says. “But I imagine we’re only at the commencing of our journey, so hopefully this adore will continue to increase and carry us far more visitors.”

She states her and Yip’s job as house owners is to listen to opinions and reply in the ideal way. Opinions by the to start with pair months have already supplied the pair a handful of suggestions on how to tweak the menu.

Nevertheless, Zhykharevich stressed that they are not attempting to get forward of on their own.

“I’m not 1 of people persons who has a one particular-yr system, or a five-year plan,” she states. “Our focus is to make this cafe welcoming to the neighborhood, we just want to acquire it just one working day at a time.”