If you’ve been in Alexander City for any length of time, you’ve either already been to Sakura Bistro, or you have friends begging you to go and try it. Since an extensive renovation and remodel in fall of 2014, plus a name change and transition from basic Chinese lunch buffet to Asian bistro, the small restaurant featuring a hibachi grill and sushi bar on Highway 280, a blend of both Chinese and Japanese traditions, has had extensive success.

Owners Jing Pan and Yong Lin, husband and wife, explained that Sakura Bistro, previously known as City Buffet, has long been a family business. During a brief period when the business was run by their family members while they lived out of state, they received a desperate call that the restaurant needed help. The couple was taken back when they learned from their family that sales were plummeting and customer satisfaction was not where it should be.

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