AKA Bistro to reopen by end of April

By Alice Waugh

AKA Bistro expects to reopen by the end of this month with an all-new menu and other improvements.

The restaurant has been closed since December, when an overhead water pipe ruptured and caused extensive water damage. Most of the dining room interior as well as much of the kitchen equipment has been torn out and replaced.

It’s been a battle for co-owner Christian Touche, who has had to fight for compensation not just for the renovations but also for business-interruption insurance payments. He said his insurance company was initially reluctant to compensate him for what his staff would have earned in tips as well as their $2.63 hourly salary while the restaurant was closed. Touche decided to pay them out of his own pocket while discussions were going on so he could keep the staff available to return to work when the restaurant reopens.

“We’ve developed a really nice team,” Touche said. “It sounds like a cliché, but we’re really like a family.” AKA Bistro has 25 employees, 12 of whom are wait staff, he added.

When customers return, they’ll notice a few changes, such as a menu that now lists traditional French and Japanese dishes together, rather than on separate pages. There will also be lots of salads and new dishes, Touche said.

Other changes were made for the comfort of diners. The biggest complaint before the closing was the conversation noise level, so workers have installed sound-absorbing foam beneath the new floor, custom-made cloth wall panels, thicker ceiling tiles and even soundproofing behind the pictures on the walls. There will also be better window shades and improved air flow, Touche said.

“We took the time to reinvent ourselves,” he said.

It didn’t make sense to reopen the restaurant in a new location, Touche said. “I feel at home here, and I think people [in Lincoln] deserve a decent restaurant. I hope they’ll give us another shot.”

The reservation line at 781-259-9920 should be back in operation by next week, he said.