While there was certainly a sentimental reason that Peter Lee and his wife Sue purchased the O’Sushi Japanese Restaurant on Ford Road in Canton, there also were several other factors in play that all added up to ingredients for a rather easy decision for the couple.

“My wife, Sue, and I took over the restaurant about a year-and-a-half ago, and one of the main reasons we wanted to own this particular restaurant was this is where we met when I was the chef and she was the manager,” said Peter Lee. “We met here some 20 years ago, and I only worked here less than a year so I didn’t stay long. She was here first.”

Peter stayed just long enough to fall in love.

While Peter moved on to another chef position, Sue soon left the restaurant business altogether to continue what she loves doing – teaching piano.

“She really enjoys teaching the piano to kids so that’s what she wanted to do, and I left for a better opportunity at a different restaurant,” Lee said. “We got married soon after that.”

In May 2024, Sue learned that the restaurant was for sale and suggested to her husband that they should buy it. At the time, Peter had been the head chef at Oyaki in Dearborn Heights for the past seven years.

“I don’t think it was doing great or had a great reputation, which made me hesitant to buy it, but my wife believed they would start over and make it successful,” Peter said. “I think the pandemic really had a negative effect on them at the time and the quality may have suffered a little bit. And there is a lot of competition here in Canton.”

Peter said business wasn’t exactly booming at the beginning but has started to increase steadily over time as people discover the new menu and new atmosphere the Lees have created.

“The first thing we did was change the menu and took out some of the items that weren’t selling very much,” Peter said. “My wife is the manager and she understands customer service much better than I do, so she enjoys talking with customers and we have had more dining than before. We are hanging in and doing OK. But with the rising costs over the last six months it’s getting challenging.”

Located at Ford and Lilley roads, O’Sushi Japanese Restaurant is in a prime spot on the busy Canton corridor.

“It’s a good location but there is a lot of competition around, which is good for the customers because it gives them a lot of variety and choices,” Peter said. “We really like Canton and the people and business community.”

O’Sushi Japanese Restaurant is located at 42412 Ford Road. For more information, including the complete menu, visit osushicanton.com/online-ordering.