Neil and Perry Farr have announced the permanent closure of Onsen Ramen in Essex Junction and told Seven Days that they plan to open a new ice cream shop, Judi’s, in the same building as their original restaurant, the Scale in Williston. The old-fashioned scoop shop is named for Neil’s grandmother. It will open in early September and operate seasonally.
Onsen, at 137 Pearl Street, closed for the summer last year due to short staffing. When it reopened in October, the Farrs said they planned to keep the restaurant open fall through spring, given the low summer demand for soup. Since then, Neil said, they’ve learned that running a kitchen seasonally doesn’t work from a staffing standpoint.
The Farrs decided to refocus on the Scale at 373 Blair Park Road, which has been serving Hawaiian-style poke bowls and acai bowls since 2017. They have retained Onsen’s 10 employees and are planning more Scale locations in Chittenden County, Neil said.
Onsen Ramen’s location was originally a second outpost of the Scale. The couple will keep the space and use it as a prep kitchen for the poke restaurant. The Farrs are also developing Onsen ramen kits to sell through local retailers.
This article appears in Jul 3-9, 2024.
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