Kaju Tofu House, a fast-casual Korean restaurant, will soon have two locations near the east and west ends of the Boston University Charles River Campus when it opens a new storefront in Kenmore Square around the end of October.
The eatery, which is currently undergoing preparations for its opening, will replace Thai Dish which was located at 636 Beacon St. Kaju Tofu’s Allston location opened in 2013, according to Kaju Tofu owner Michelle Suh.
Suh said the interior will remain mostly the same, with little, if any, constructional changes, and she hopes to open the restaurant at the end of the month.
“It really depends on inspection,” she said. “But I think roughly the end of October.”
Suh said she decided to bring Kaju Tofu to Kenmore Square after the lease expired at her former Cambridge location and the rent became too expensive, forcing the owners to close the storefront.
“The landlords wanted to raise [the lease price] by 10-15 percent,” Suh said.
Kaju Tofu serves a variety of Korean food, from tofu and rice to salads and meat dishes, Suh said. Suh has been in the restaurant business for more than 22 years, and said she is most excited to offer a “lunchbox for students” as well as rice and noodle dishes that are “easy to grab.”
“It’s a community, and they don’t have time to eat really good food,” Suh added.
Suh said the quality of the food and preparation that goes into meals will attract both old and new customers — including BU students.
“We love BU,” Suh said. “There are a lot of students in Allston. We really appreciate BU students’ … support and [when] students as customers come in. This is the food for students and families.”
Suh said she is looking forward to bringing healthy options to BU students, whom she thinks often avoid “colorful food.”
“We are really concerned with good food and healthy food,” Suh said. “I try to use, for example, a lot of colorful food. [Students] avoid colorful food so I’m kind of disappointed. We’re going to make food with lots of vegetables, and I try to make organic salads.”
June Kim, who has managed the Allston location since it opened in March 2012, said she anticipates the new Beacon Street restaurant will appeal to BU students.
“It will be really successful,” Kim said. “We have a lot of BU students for customers and they’re really excited.”
Kim added that she thinks the restaurant will draw customers from nearby retailers, including the hair salon next door.
Several BU students said they were interested in trying Kaju Tofu and hope the Korean eatery will differentiate itself from other Asian cuisine restaurants in the area.
Yong Jin Chun, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she thinks the price of Kaju Tofu’s food will be an important factor in attracting students.
“It depends on price,” Chun said. “There are a few Korean restaurants around Boston. I think they’d have to differentiate themselves, set a good strategy, advertise.”
Chun also said she thinks Kaju Tofu will have to master specific Korean dishes in order to gain more business.
“They can specialize in different types of Korean food if they want to really make it work,” she said.
Kelly Ruan, a CAS freshman, said the providing cheap food for the BU community is very important.
Ruan said she thinks Kaju Tofu will attract BU students depending on “how good the food is, the price because college students are always looking for cheap food.”
Kathryn Hansen, a sophomore in the College of General Studies, said she welcomed the variety Kaju Tofu House will add to the area.
“I like Korean food,” Hansen said. “It’s worth a try. I don’t like eating the same thing over and over again.”
