Blue Sushi Sake Grill: Locations, Menu, History Guide

Four friends with zero restaurant experience bet that Omaha was hungry for serious sushi in 2002—and that gamble reshaped casual dining across nine states. Blue Sushi Sake Grill now operates 24 locations, proving the founders’ instinct about an underserved market paid off in ways they likely never imagined.

Happy Hour: Mon–Sat 11am–6:30pm and all day Sunday · Top Review Rating: 4.3 of 5 on Tripadvisor · Naperville Ranking: #49 of 322 restaurants · Key Locations: Des Moines, Lincoln, Lexington, Nashville, Westlake, Denver

The table below consolidates the operational facts verified across multiple sources.

Where did Blue Sushi Sake Grill come from?

Blue Sushi Sake Grill traces its roots to a bet made by four friends who believed Omaha was ready for serious sushi. The concept launched in 2002 at the 144th & West Maple Road location in northwest Omaha—a spot that staff still refer to as “OG Blue.” Flagship Restaurant Group Official confirms the founding year and location as verified facts.

“Nick Hogan had spent time eating sushi in Tucson, Arizona and San Diego before settling in Omaha, where the market was wide open,” according to FSR Magazine’s restaurant trade analysis. That prior exposure shaped his confidence that a sushi-first concept could work in the Midwest.

Nick Hogan and Tom Allisma brought Nebraska backgrounds to the table, while Anthony Hitchcock and Tony Gentile came from Texas. According to FoodChain Magazine (industry publication covering restaurant operations), all four were in their late 20s and had zero restaurant experience before opening Blue Sushi. A fifth name—Tom Buder—appears in some financial records as an additional founder, though sources vary on his precise involvement.

The founders’ shared love of water and fishing shaped more than the restaurant’s name—it underpins the Conscious Earth Program, which commits the company to buying and selling only responsibly sourced seafood, Blue Sushi Sake Grill’s official sustainability page explains.

About Flagship Restaurant Group

Flagship Restaurant Group didn’t exist as a formal entity when Blue Sushi opened—it was established in 2008, according to the company’s official history. That same year, two additional Blue Sushi locations opened in the Omaha area. The group now operates 46 total locations across multiple concepts including Mexican, seafood, Mediterranean, and gastro pub offerings, as detailed in a Restaurant Hoppen interview (industry video series).

Mark Kantaras serves as director of operations for Flagship Restaurant Group with 13 years of tenure, having previously worked as executive chef at Charleston’s and Kona Grill, per Grow Omaha (local business publication). Phil Belk, general manager at the Legacy location, joined in 2014 as a bartender at the original Maple spot.

Who owns Blue Sushi Sake?

Blue Sushi Sake Grill is owned by Flagship Restaurant Group, the parent company established in 2008. Nick Hogan—who was among the original four founders—is now CEO of Flagship Restaurant Group, FSR Magazine confirms. The four founding partners remain the core ownership group behind the parent entity.

The chain operates as the first and flagship concept of Flagship Restaurant Group, according to Grow Omaha (local business publication with direct access to company representatives). Flagship Restaurant Group functions as an umbrella organization managing multiple restaurant brands, with Blue Sushi representing the sushi-focused arm of its portfolio.

Private company status limits public disclosure of ownership percentages or investment structures. Tom Buder appears in some financial documentation as an additional founder alongside the four primary partners, though his specific equity stake and operational role remain unclear based on available records.

Who is the owner of sushi sake?

The name “sushi sake” in the brand refers to the menu focus rather than a separate legal entity. The brand identity centers on pairing sushi with sake—a Japanese rice wine that occupies a prominent place on the drink menu. Blue Sushi locations typically feature an extensive sake selection alongside traditional cocktail and beer options.

Sushi Sake company profile

Flagship Restaurant Group’s company profile describes Blue Sushi as the original concept that launched the broader group. The chain’s individual restaurants range from 5,000 to 6,000 square feet of interior space with 500 to 1,000 square feet of patio seating, per the company’s portfolio page.

The implication: the founding team built a restaurant model that worked well enough to scale—not through aggressive franchising, but through deliberate owned-location growth under a single corporate umbrella.

Is Blue Sushi a national chain?

Blue Sushi Sake Grill operates 24 locations across nine states, according to Flagship Restaurant Group Portfolio. That geographic reach places it in the regional chain category rather than a coast-to-coast national presence—but the footprint spans far beyond its Nebraska origin point.

The chain has expanded aggressively in recent years. The 17th location opened in Lincoln Park, Chicago, FoodChain Magazine reports. Arizona received two new locations in 2025, including a Surprise location that opened earlier that year, the company’s official site confirms.

“Compared to massive sushi chains like Panda Express (2,000+ locations) or even Kona Grill (30+ locations), Blue Sushi remains relatively modest in count,” the portfolio page acknowledges. “However, the chain’s focus on full-service dining with sake bars and larger footprints distinguishes it from fast-casual competitors.”

Blue Sushi Sake Grill locations overview

Key markets include Des Moines, Iowa; Lincoln, Nebraska; Lexington, Kentucky; Nashville, Tennessee; Westlake, Ohio; and Denver, Colorado—representing a deliberate mix of Midwest anchors with selective Southern and Western expansion. The Naperville, Illinois location holds a #49 ranking among 322 restaurants in that market area, based on Tripadvisor aggregation data.

What this means: Blue Sushi occupies a middle ground—larger than a local independent restaurant but more geographically focused than iconic chains. The chain’s growth strategy appears selective, prioritizing markets with sufficient disposable income and interest in sushi dining rather than blanket national expansion.

What’s the etiquette for ordering at a sushi bar?

Understanding sushi bar etiquette enhances the experience at any sushi restaurant, including chains like Blue Sushi Sake Grill. Whether you’re a first-timer or a regular looking to refine your approach, these unwritten rules shape how chefs and fellow diners perceive competence and appreciation.

What’s proper sushi etiquette, anyway?

The foundational rule: never mix wasabi into soy sauce. Traditional etiquette holds that adding wasabi directly to soy sauce masks the fish’s flavor and can insult the chef’s knife work, according to The Daily Meal (food and dining publication). Instead, dip the fish side (not the rice side) lightly into soy sauce, or apply a small dab of wasabi directly to the nigiri.

Ginger is a palate cleanser between pieces, not a topping for sushi. Sushi etiquette guides on Medium clarify that the pink ginger served alongside sashimi exists to reset your taste receptors between different fish—using it as a condiment suggests confusion about its purpose.

Use chopsticks only when eating hand rolls (temaki); nigiri is traditionally eaten by hand in Japan. When using chopsticks, never stick them upright in rice or cross them over your plate—these positions resemble funeral incense and death offerings in Japanese culture.

What not to do when eating sushi?

Avoid turning nigiri upside down or eating it inside-out. The rice should meet your tongue first—this temperature differential matters because warm rice against cool fish produces optimal texture. Flipping sushi defeats this purpose and removes the visual presentation the chef intended.

Never ask for soy sauce with sashimi—the fish is meant to stand alone without embellishment. For sushi rolls, apply soy sauce sparingly; drenching rolls creates a salty, soggy result that ruins texture balance. At Blue Sushi Sake Grill specifically, the extensive sake menu offers alternatives to over-reliance on soy sauce.

The catch: most American diners violate several of these rules without consequence. Chain restaurants generally accommodate all comfort levels, and servers won’t correct patrons. But understanding the reasoning behind etiquette rules helps diners appreciate why certain presentations exist—and when breaking rules actually enhances enjoyment.

Blue Sushi Sake Grill locations and menus

Blue Sushi Sake Grill maintains an official website at www.bluesushisakegrill.com/locations where diners can browse individual location pages, view menus, and check hours. The site emphasizes the chain’s dual focus on creative sushi rolls and extensive sake offerings with extended happy hour windows.

Blue Sushi Sake Grill Des Moines

The Des Moines location serves the Iowa market as one of Blue Sushi’s more established Midwestern sites. Like other locations, it features the chain’s signature combination of traditional nigiri options, signature rolls, and a curated sake list. The Des Moines market benefits from the chain’s consistent menu approach while maintaining location-specific seasonal specials.

Blue Sushi Sake Grill Lincoln

Lincoln, Nebraska represents a hometown-adjacent market for the chain, given Blue Sushi’s Omaha origins. The Lincoln location provides Nebraska residents access to the full menu without traveling to Omaha, maintaining the same square-footage model (5,000–6,000 interior plus patios) seen across the portfolio.

Blue Sushi Sake Grill menu

The Blue Sushi menu centers on signature rolls (creative combinations with multiple fish, sauces, and toppings), traditional nigiri (single-piece servings of fish over rice), sashimi (fish alone without rice), and appetizers like edamame, gyoza, and seaweed salads. The sake menu typically includes hot and cold options, sake flights for tasting, and specialty sake cocktails.

Happy hour runs Monday through Saturday from 11am to 6:30pm and all day Sunday across most locations, according to the official site. This extended window makes Blue Sushi accessible for early diners and provides all-day Sunday options that many sushi restaurants don’t match.

Menu prices and specific offerings vary by location and change seasonally. The official website’s menu pages represent the most current offerings, though in-restaurant menus sometimes include location-specific items not reflected online.

Related reading: how to make chili · how to make sourdough bread

While Blue Sushi Sake Grill shines in Des Moines and Lincoln, Tatsu Sushi + BBQ menu delivers an exciting all-you-can-eat sushi-BBQ fusion across Arizona locations.

Frequently asked questions

For diners in Des Moines, Lincoln, or any of the other nine states hosting Blue Sushi locations, the choice is relatively straightforward: the chain delivers consistent execution, an extensive sake program, and responsibly sourced seafood in full-service settings. Those seeking the fastest or cheapest sushi will find better options elsewhere—but for diners who value the full bar and restaurant experience, Blue Sushi Sake Grill holds its ground among regional chains worth knowing.