College Park residents aren’t at a loss for dining options, especially when searching for Chinese food. Students barely have to go a block down Route 1 to get to Panda or Shanghai Café, but the newest addition may encourage students to go a little further down the road.
Sakura Seafood and Supreme Buffet, located at 9031 Baltimore Ave., is the latest restaurant trying to capitalize on a residential base that loves to eat.
“All our restaurants think they can do well,” said Michael Stiefvater, College Park’s economic development coordinator. He added that though it doesn’t always work out, the area has seen many restaurants enjoy success, so there’s always someone willing to try.
“There’s a lot of turnover, but it’s usually someone ready to step in,” Stiefvater said.
Everyone has their own tastes, but restaurant-goers looking for variety should at least be satisfied by Sakura, which includes Italian, American, Japanese and Chinese cuisine.
The buffet, which costs $7.99 for lunch and $11.99 for dinner, offers shrimp, scallops, fruits, desserts, spareribs, clams, multiple Chinese entrees, ham, chicken, a create-your-own Hibachi section and a wonton noodle section. It also has a sushi section which offers multiple options.
Sakura opened on Jan. 25, the first day of the spring semester, which helps explain why some students are still unfamiliar with it.
“Where’s that?” asked junior aero-engineering major Atin Mittra, who had not heard about the new restaurant. Junior economics major Sid Patel even offered a correction when asked about the buffet. “I think you mean Seven Seas,” he said.
It may still be a bit of a secret among students, but a trip to Sakura around lunch or dinnertime proves that other College Park residents are in the know. Make a midday call to the restaurant, and you’re likely to hear the hustle and bustle of a town favorite.
“It’s usually pretty full,” said Sakura hostess Elena Herrera. “We get a lot of big groups on Saturdays and Sundays.”
Sakura Seafood and Supreme Buffet is a sister restaurant to the widespread chain Teppanyaki Grill and Buffet, which has locations in Maryland, Virginia and even Minnesota.
To those familiar with Teppanyaki, the layout and menu may be similar. Rockville resident Michael Noda, a frequenter of Teppanyaki, said Sakura’s “combinations are probably about the same.”
Sakura’s likely competitor is China Buffet, located just up the street at 9098 Baltimore Ave. China Buffet has been around for a few years and may not have wanted another similarly-styled buffet so close, but Stiefvater says there’s nothing they could have done. “They just saw it open like anyone else,” he said.
Though potential restaurant owners must go through regulatory steps with the county — such as gaining a use and occupancy permit — other restaurants in the area aren’t notified or involved. So even if a restaurant doesn’t want a similar establishment to open, it has no real outlet to voice those concerns.
“I think this is going to pull a lot of business from China Buffet,” Noda said. He added, “There’s no comparison,” citing Sakura’s quality of food, parking availability and prices.
Pikesville resident Daniel Stokes said he’s happy to see another Chinese buffet in College Park because, “compared to others, [China Buffet] isn’t very good.”
Nevertheless, China Buffet hasn’t made any complaints–at least to anyone of consequence–so College Park residents should have plenty of options when their appetite can only be satisfied buffet-style.
