Domo owner asks guest to be patient as he reopens restaurant

Gaku Homma requires one thing from customers when they walk through Domo Japanese Country Restaurant’s recently reopened doors: patience.

At 73 years old, the chef is still constantly on his feet, cooking, cleaning dishes and greeting guests. “I am happy to be back here, but I am busy,” he said.

Homma reopened Domo, at 1365 Osage St., last month after a year hiatus, but with a smaller menu, limited hours and only four people on staff, two up front and two in the kitchen; that’s compared to the nearly 30 he had before the closure.

“My hands can only hold so much,” Homma said.

Domo closed temporarily in 2021 after a 40-second TikTok video of the restaurant’s beautiful outdoor gardens went viral and led to hundreds of people forming lines ar...