The opening of Koyo Ramen in Purcellville on Dec. 8, has sparked conversation in the halls of Loudoun Valley. Koyo Ramen is an Asian Cuisine restaurant that specializes in ramen and tea. Annie, the manager and co-owner of Koyo Ramen, is skilled at Japanese cooking, and her team makes all the dishes from scratch, no matter how long or hard.
“One thing I enjoyed about Koyo Ramen is that it is something different. I feel like Purcellville needed something new, and Koyo Ramen was the perfect option,” sophomore Sienna Dhillon said.
Located in the Purcellville Center, Koyo Ramen keeps the Japanese culture inside the restaurant. They do this by incorporating Japanese art of the dragon known as “tatsu” or “ryū” and ocean waves across the walls, Japanese light fixtures and decorations.
Being originally from Bangkok, Annie wanted to bring her culture’s large varieties of foods within her restaurant.
Opening a new restaurant comes with many difficulties, including hiring, taxes and income. As the manager and co-owner of Koyo Ramen, Annie has faced many of these struggles.
“I have to do the business plan, all the taxes that I have to pay the government, all the income, and all my property or my savings and show it to the embassy to make them approve the opening of the restaurant,” she said.
Koyo Ramen was looking for experienced workers in the kitchen. The chef at Koyo Ramen now has been cooking for 20 years and knows exactly what Annie means when she tells him a new recipe. All of this work has paid off to make Koyo Ramen the restaurant it is today.
The community of Purcellville has loved having the restaurant and Annie enjoys the customers.
“All the customers are very nice to me and I’m not fluent in English and they try to understand me. They try to help me and it makes me feel like I belong here,” she said.
