Ukai is a Korean expression of cheer and happiness. That is what the Kim family hopes to share at its Ukai Hibachi Grill & Sushi Bar restaurants in Okemos and Delta Township and at the AI Fusion Sushi & Grill in East Lansing.

“It’s a family venture,” said Song Su Kim, director of operations. Legally, he is the owner of the three restaurants, but he noted, “Yes, they’re all in my name, but I know they’re not mine. When my parents are ready to retire, they’ll just hand the business over. It’s our culture. They take care of us when we’re little, and as we transition in life, we take care of them down the road.”

The family came to the United States from Busan, South Korea, in 1984, seeking a better education for Song Su and his sister, Yun Jung. Song Su was only nine at the time, and none of the family spoke English. His father, Man Kun Kim, had been an engineer in Korea.

But in this country, he started out as a dishwasher at the Asahi restaurant in Okemos and his wife, Young Hee Kim, worked also. Man Kun eventually learned his way through the kitchen and then took another job which required him to travel constantly. The couple decided in 1993 to purchase the Asahi restaurant (now the Okemos Ukai). Initially, it was a disaster.

“The Asahi restaurant used to do really well back in the day,” Song Su explained. “But the owner had let it go. We didn’t have any customers for the first week. I remember parking our car in front of the restaurant to make it look like we had a customer.”

Now his mother worries about turning people away.

Song Su went on to get his bachelor’s degree from The School of Hospitality at Michigan State University. His sister graduated in dentistry from the University of Detroit Mercy and now practices in Iowa.

After graduation, Song Su wasn’t thinking about working in the family business. He headed for the surf and sun of California for six years, working as the regional manager for the Hooter’s restaurant chain. Eventually, his parents talked him into coming back to Michigan in October 2004. “It was cold,” he said. But his parents helped him make the transition.

Last year, the family opened two new restaurants: the Ukai West in August 2007 with 12 hibachi grills and AI Fusion in November.

“The Ukai West was something we’d been wanting to do for a long time,” said Song Su. “The land became available, so we bought it and built it. That’s kind of my baby. I was there every day from the time the first shovel hit the ground until we opened the doors. It’s a great, beautiful building. I’m really proud of that project.”

AI Fusion was supposed to open first, but there were problems with the construction, permits and other delays, so it took longer than anticipated. Song Su estimates that his father did about 80 percent of the building’s carpentry, and the two of them didn’t sleep for two days, working on the fountain.

“It gives you that really homey feel,” said Song Su. “I really like that. My father really prides himself on that personal touch.”

While the AI Fusion is not that far from the Okemos Ukai, Song Su said the dinner offerings are quite different, with AI Fusion featuring “fusion” food. “The cuisine is the fusion of two cultures. It’s traditional Japanese food with a little flair. It begins with traditional sushi, and cream cheese and chicken are added, which doesn’t normally get put in to the dish. It’s made fresh on the spot. This style is very popular in California, Nevada and Arizona, and on the East Coast. It hasn’t really made it yet into the Midwest.”

Also, unlike the Ukai, where customers sit in large groups around the hibachi grills watching as the chef prepares their meals, AI is a traditional sit-down restaurant with a full kitchen, where the executive head chef and Song Su have been preparing a new menu.

“We’re going to go to a lot healthier menu,” he stated. “Lots of new wave foods. We’re going to have more vegetarian meals, more fruit and a lot more fish. We’re using tempura, which is pure vegetable oil. We’re going to have more brown rice for people who are conscious about their health and carbs.”

Far from those first difficult days at the Asahi, AI Fusion is already taking off, despite some mishaps.

“I can’t believe how many regulars we already have,” said Song Su. “But we’ve made our share of mistakes along the way, booking big parties when our kitchen didn’t have the capacity. Fifty people is really tough. If people want to book a party of 30, I always hesitate. I tell them, [the food is] going to come in stages. People ask me, ‘You’re turning away a party of 40?’ But I want to make sure they’re happy. Bring in a smaller group, and we’ll do a good job.”

Serving meals in stages is common in Korean culture.

“They’ll order food right off the bat, and you just bring the food, and they’ll start eating,” Song Su explained. “Americans want everything at the same time. That’s hard to do when someone wants a well-done steak and someone else wants sushi, which isn’t cooked. You have to time everything out, so there is a challenge to that. Another big cultural thing, when a Korean family goes out to dinner, one person is paying for everyone else at the table. It’s very social. We sit and drink and talk about what’s going on in our lives.”

Among the three locations, Song Su has over 40 staff people. “Ninety percent of them are students. We want to treat them like family members, so we want to work around their schedules. I was so trained to think in a corporate setting and wanted to lay down all these rules, but Mom and Dad said, ‘We don’t do that.’ So I’ve learned a lot from them. Family values really set us apart from corporate restaurants.”

But working with family isn’t always easy.

“You’re always conflicting. I don’t remember fighting so much with my parents before,” Song Su noted. “They’re traditional old school, and I want to do new things. But at the end of the day, we have a common goal. I get a lot of credit for things that have happened in the restaurants, but I say I’m only a small part of it. My parents are very humble people who don’t ask for the spotlight.”

As for the long days he puts in, Song Su remarked, “People say, ‘You work so many hours. It must be tough,’ and I say, ‘No, I pretty much hang out all day and talk to people.’ I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

But in the end, it’s pleasing his parents that means the most to Song Su. “I take a lot of pride in seeing my parents smile. That’s the best thing. They taught me to do things for myself and to be there at the front door when the customers come in. You can’t learn that in school.”