LYNNWOOD, Wash. — Fair warning — you will never unhear the song Peanut the robot "sings" at the new location of Sushi Hana in Lynnwood. The robot brings water and joy to every table.
"We do a little dance each time she goes by,” said customers Rowan and Kerrie Priest.
Sushi Hana Lynnwood opened in December 2022. The original Sushi Hana is in Bothell.
And Peanut is not the only automation here at the new place. There's a machine that makes rice balls for nigiri sushi. Another robot cranks out rice sheets for rolls. And instead of a conveyor belt, both restaurants installed a sushi "monorail" that delivers fresh orders to individual tables. Innovations that helped keep Sushi Hana in business despite the pandemic.
“After COVID hit it was really hard, it was a dark tunnel for everybody,” owner Sarah Lee said. "We started getting emails from the customers, we started getting calls from the customers saying, 'Hey Sarah hang in there. We are here for you. We are ready for sushi.'"
Sushi Hana's "monorail" is the first in the area, it delivers to specific tables with less contact.
Peanut delivers water, birthday cupcakes, and positive self-talk, saying things like, “Here comes the little Peanut, pretty and smart" as she trundles down the restaurant aisles.
She's also got a growing fan base. Daughter and mom Rowan and Kerrie Priest made a special trip from Everett to meet her.
"[My daughter was] very excited when Peanut brought her water," Kerrie said. "There was a little celebrity moment."
“You were excited too, you love Peanut!” Rowan exclaimed.
There are still humans behind this sushi, crafting it carefully. Salmon is their most popular — they go through 400 pounds a week.
“I always love to see people eat the good food,” Lee said.
Sushi Hana’s food is good. Service is fast and the food is made fresh to order as opposed to circling endlessly on a conveyor belt. And when you leave, you'll bring more than leftovers home. You’ll be humming that Peanut song as well.
"We might in the car on our way home, our bellies full of sushi and our heads full of Peanut song,” Kerrie said.
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