Shabu launched in 2004 at the old Main Street Mall. It was lucky to have a good set up, according to Executive Chef Bob Valaika, who came to Park City after working at Nobu in Aspen.
“Deal of a century to say the least,” Valaika said. “Russell Wong gave us the opportunity to go in there for like $10 an hour. All the equipment was in there, it was turnkey. I mean, that’s what saved us, was our startup costs, and how we were able to get into the restaurant business quickly - not paying an arm and a leg for rent.”
Bob’s brother and Shabu General Manager Kevin Valaika said the pair spent a lot of time digging through restaurant equipment stores in Salt Lake and Las Vegas.
“We did it all on our own,” Kevin Valaika said. “We didn’t have a bank or an investor behind us. I always like to say it was kind of like a Sundance movie, we just went for it.”
The pair began to look for a new home during the Great Recession, Kevin said.
“There was a point in there that we were the only tenant pretty much in the mall in 2008 when the commercial real estate economy collapsed,” he said. “That’s when we said, ‘Hey we need to get out of this and find a new location.’ And we searched and searched… and took over our current location, and it’s been great. We love it, heart of Main Street.”
Chef Bob says Shabu’s menu of “freestyle Asian cuisine” matches well with Park City’s character and allows him to experiment.
“It really broadened my spice rack, if you will, to other countries that I can fuse with Asian cuisine,” Bob said. “It was a thing that kind of went hand in hand with being in a ski town… freestyle kind of clicked with me.”
The pair said prioritizing the mountain lifestyle has allowed them to stay well-staffed over the years.
“The market has just gone crazy,” Kevin said. “We have to compete with St. Regis and Montage and Vail and Alterra. And for Bob and I to retain employees, we have to provide more than money.”
“We spent a lot of time with our employees,” Bob added. “We’re up powder skiing and camping and river running… Quite honestly, when we hire, we always ask that question, like, ‘Hey, are you outdoorsy? Do you like to get outside and ski?’ We call ourselves the Shabu Shredders.”
Shabu is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. every day during the winter at 442 Main Street.
