Mary Katherine Murphy|Laurinburg Exchange Also the owners of Golden Run, Mei Chen and Yang Ruan will open Miyako Japanese Cuisine on Main Street at 11 a.m. today.

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Having stood empty since the closure of No. 1 China Buffet earlier this year, the address at 1225 Main Street will offer a new Asian taste sensation.

Yang Ruan and Mei Chen, also the owners of Laurinburg’s Golden Run Chinese Restaurant, took over management of the building after No. 1 China Buffet went out of business. After seven months of remodeling, the restaurant is opening as Miyako Japanese Cuisine. It first official day of business was Friday.

“We wanted something new - there aren’t a lot of options as far as restaurants and Japanese food,” said the couple’s daughter, Lilly Ruan. “It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a long time, we just wanted to find a good area for it.”

Yang Ruan owns 10 restaurants in the southeastern North Carolina area, and has been in the business for 28 years. He opened Golden Run in Laurinburg 12 years ago.

With a wine bar and table seating for 100 guests, Miyako’s menu will include a variety of Japanese dishes in an upscale setting.

“It’s going to be hibachi-style food, sushi, the bentos, steaks, chicken, and seafood,” Ruan said. “The majority of the work is the hibachi, and they’ll be cooking out here.”

While many Japanese restaurants seat groups of eight or 12 at one table around a grill, Miyako’s diners will be served by a waitress, with a single hibachi fired up in a common area of the restaurant. Between wait and kitchen staff, Ruan plans to employ about 14 people at first.

Miyako will be open from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. daily, remaining open until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Prices will start at $3 for an appetizer with the lobster specialty the most expensive dish. The average lunch will be about $7, with dinner prices closer to $12.