When asked if Charles Bahng, owner of Mashita Teriyaki, envisioned owning a restaurant with his wife Sunhee when first moving to the United States, Charles said, “I never imagined that I would be running a restaurant. Life is full of surprises, and you know, this is one of them.” Charles’ answer reveals his humility and honest outlook regarding running the business, which he and Sunhee have successfully done for 25 years here in Tualatin. What’s their secret to 25 years in such an unpredictable industry?
“The food has got to be good, reasonable prices, friendly service, and a clean environment. It’s the same formula with any restaurant. We try our best every day, Monday through Saturday. [The restaurant] is still a mom-and-pop shop. Sunhee and I come here every day, and we’ve been doing it now for 25 years.”
Charles and Sunhee first moved to the United States from Korea in 1993. In 2001, the couple purchased a small Tualatin teriyaki restaurant from a local couple for $80,000. Since then, the restaurant has evolved and gone through many changes, big and small (from moving to their historic current location to the global pandemic to the dynamic and unpredictable restaurant industry), all the while accumulating a loyal customer base.
Evidence of that customer base is all over the walls of Mashita Teriyaki. Walking into the restaurant, you see photos of local Tualatin sports teams, newspaper clippings covering Mashita Teriyaki’s presence in the community, and, of course, hundreds of chicken figurines!
“That was not always planned,” Charles says of the many chicken figurines, photos, and paintings that decorate the space. “We went to Cannon Beach and the gift shop had a lot of chicken figurines. We make a lot of chicken here! So we bought a few. It became a hobby for my wife and me. I think we bought maybe four after that. Everything else here has been given to us by customers.” Charles adds that customers have brought back chicken art from Mexico, South America, Poland, and all over Europe to decorate the restaurant. These gifts are a testament to Charles and Sunhee’s devoted work and well-run establishment. Not to mention, the incredible food!
When visiting Mashita Teriyaki on a rainy, cold afternoon, I was immediately comforted by the generous portion of chicken teriyaki, pot stickers, and vegetables (all over a heaping bed of rice) that Charles and Sunhee served us. This is the lunch special, which at a very reasonable $12.00, comes with chicken teriyaki, three pot stickers or one egg roll, vegetables, rice, and a small drink. Charles explains over a glass of Coke that this is the restaurant’s most popular dish, and it’s served from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. daily. That afternoon, the restaurant was packed with lunchtime diners enjoying the same meal as I was.
After finishing lunch, Charles clued me in on the behind-the-scenes cooking process at the restaurant. His and Sunhee’s hard work and dedication to providing the best ingredients were clear.
“The teriyaki is homemade here. I make a big pot every day,” he says. “The hot sauce is Sriracha.”
Charles then fills me in on one of the more challenging aspects of owning a restaurant: the changing food supply. Due to a shortage of Sriracha sauce recently, for instance, the sauce cost nearly $80.00 a bottle for a period of time.
“I spent Sundays after church all over Portland looking for one bottle… either you get the sauce and try to make some food out of it like hot and spicy chicken, or you go out of business.” Charles’s matter-of-fact honesty is refreshing, and I was curious to learn more about the unexpected challenges of running a successful restaurant like Mashita Teriyaki.
“You know, like everything, you learn and do your best,” Charles says. “You learn on the job.”
Over the past 25 years, Charles and Sunhee have also witnessed the Tualatin community grow and change in numerous ways. One completely unexpected event occurred in 2009, when the restaurant owners relocated from their original location to a new building.
“We were there for eight years, and then the city had to widen Boones Ferry Road… It was only a one-lane street [at the time], and there was always traffic. The city declared the three blocks to be under eminent domain, so everyone had to move out, including us. When the city told us that we would have to move, I thought that we would have to move out of town somewhere,” Charles shares. “Eventually, this solution came up.”
Charles refers to the “Old Brick Store,” formerly known as the Robinson’s Store, which has been their location since 2009. The building was constructed in 1912, and according to the Oregon Inventory of Historic Properties’ Historic Resource Survey from Washington County, it is the only commercial brick building from the 1900s that still stands in Tualatin. “[The building] used to be what they call a country store. This was when from here to Sherwood was nothing but farm fields,” Charles shares. The building went on to become Rich’s Kitchen, a successful and beloved restaurant that operated from the building for many years.
Upon learning of the Boones Ferry Road widening project, the people of Tualatin and the Tualatin Historical Society fought to preserve the “Old Brick Store,” and succeeded with the help of developer David Emami. Ultimately, Emami worked with the city and agreed to purchase, refurbish, and move the building 50 ft. to make room for the widening of Boones Ferry Road.
Charles tells me that David Emami was also the owner of Charles and Sunhee’s original location, and offered Mashita Teriyaki the opportunity to continue operation in the historic building.
“The [Veterans of Foreign Wars], originally built in 1945 right after the Second World War, had to be moved too,” Charles explained. “They moved up to the second floor, and we moved down here.”
Both now operate from the historic building at its new location. As for other changes that Charles and Sunhee have witnessed? “In 2003, we started sponsoring all Tualatin High School sports teams,” he says, pointing to the wall of student sports team photos from the past twenty-plus years. “Half of the girls in that picture, they got married, and have been coming back here with their kids.”
Charles and his wife, Sunhee, have a family of their own and are happy to have their adult children close by. “In America, your kids go to school somewhere out of state, and they end up away from home. They go somewhere on the East Coast, for example, and they meet somebody over there at school, and that’s [where] they end up. The only time you can get together is Thanksgiving. Fortunately, [my kids] are all here.”
Charles and Sunhee’s story is one of hard work, integrity, and good teriyaki. I was incredibly impressed with the flavorful comfort food their restaurant provided, from sizzling fried pot stickers to perfectly grilled chicken drenched in homemade teriyaki sauce. The restaurant’s many loyal customers are right to stay true to this one-of-a-kind Tualatin establishment, where the evidence of Charles and Sunhee’s 25 years of serving delicious food and caring for their community is clear. Next time, I can’t wait to order the chicken katsu!
Mashita Teriyaki is located at 18810 SW Boones Ferry Rd, Tualatin. Call ahead and they’ll have your order ready: 503-885-7661. Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. (Closed Sunday) www.mashitateriyaki.com.
