From Starbucks to sushi: Here's what happened with Fort Collins-area restaurants in April

Several new restaurants announced upcoming plans for the Fort Collins area in April while a handful closed their storefronts.

What closed?

Berry Blendz: In the face of stiff competition from drive-thru coffee shops, Berry Blendz owner Shawna Eckstine closed one of three stores.

"I just couldn't compete," she said of the decision to close the store at 1112 Oakridge Drive, Suite 112. Eckstine owns two other stores, one next to Gib's Bagels at Shields Street and Drake Road and one at 1630 S. Lemay Ave.

The Oakridge store hadn't made money "in years," Eckstine said. "I can't compete with Dutch Bros. drive-thrus ... even though we have the best smoothies in town."

The Oakridge store was formerly Inta Juice.

Nimo's Sushibar and Japanese Restaurant: Nimo's closed its restaurant at 921 E. Harmony Road at the end of April after 32 years in Fort Collins.

Chef Hiroshi "Nimo" Nimota began making sushi in Denver restaurants about 50 years ago after emigrating from Japan but said he always wanted to be independent and own his own place.

Nimota found a small storefront "with reasonable rent" on West Elizabeth Street in Fort Collins in 1992 and opened "the only Japanese restaurant owned and operated by Japanese," according to Nimo's website.

Now 75, Nimota and his wife, Noriko, retired.

In a blow for Old Town Fort Collins, Starbucks closed its store in the Northern Hotel on April 12, leaving the downtown core without the pervasive coffee shop, although it still has a store on Laurel Street and in the downtown Target on Mulberry Street.

Starbucks has been at the corner of North College Avenue and Walnut Street since 2002, according to Coloradoan archives.

A Starbucks spokesperson previously told the Coloradoan the closure is part of the company's continual evaluation of its business to ensure a "healthy store portfolio. After careful consideration, we've determined it is best to close the store at 172 N. College Ave."

What's coming soon?

Gaia Masala & Burger is set to open in May at 649 S. College Ave., in the former home of the short-lived Half Fast Subs, which closed in October.

It will be the fourth Gaia Masala & Burger for Hira Kunwar and partners, who opened the first restaurant in Boulder before expanding to Denver.

The restaurant has made its name synonymous with late-night eating and is open until 3 a.m. in Boulder to serve the university crowd. The Fort Collins store will close at 2 a.m., Kunwar previously told the Coloradoan.

Its menu will be the same as its Boulder and Denver locations that include traditional burgers; tikka masala chicken cheesesteak; masala pizza made with masala sauce, veggies, roasted garlic and chicken; gyros; shawarma; falafel; and more.

Taqueria del Barrio: Owners of Los Pepe's food truck hope to open their first brick-and mortar store, Taqueria del Barrio, in May at the former Pobre Panchos building, 1802 N. College Ave.

The building was recently purchased by Brian Seifried, owner of Wing Shack, who is leasing it to Jesus Santiago, owner of Los Pepe's food truck, which has operated outside Auto Zone for more than a decade.

Birdcall: 3300 S. College Ave., No. 110. A fast-casual fried chicken restaurant plans to open at Foothills mall, replacing a vegan restaurant that closed in September.

Birdcall applied for a building permit recently to convert the former Native Foods to the Birdcall format. The eatery is expected to open in mid- to late summer, depending on permits and construction schedules, a mall spokesperson previously told the Coloradoan.

The restaurant has eight locations in Colorado.

JINYA Ramen Bar, a Los Angeles-based ramen chain, is expected to also open at the mall in mid- to late summer.

The ramen chain plans to move into 3280 S. College Ave., Suite 120 — the unit just north of Torchy's Tacos. JINYA Ramen Bar hopes to add a new patio, canopy, lighting and other exterior improvements.

Sexy Sammies announced it is expanding to Johnstown later this year after abandoning plans to expand its Greeley store to Fort Collins.

The restaurant will open at 4904 Larimer Parkway, in the former Hiroshi Teriyaki space adjacent to Scheels. It is the third Sexy Sammies for Centennial Hospitality Group and the 16th for the ownership group.

"We are thrilled to be part of this burgeoning area and introduce a touch of hot chicken to the scene," Brian Seifried, president and founder of CHG, previously told the Coloradoan.

Seifried, who also owns Wing Shack, bought 1298 N. College Ave. in 2022 with plans to turn the former drive-thru bank building into a Sexy Sammies location. The site would have been the restaurant's third location and first outside of Greeley. Seifried suspended those plans citing the "timeline and financial burden" of the city's planning process.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Here's what happened with Fort Collins-area restaurants in April