We Suki Suki and the adjoining Qommunity food hall are no more in East Atlanta Village, at least in their present iterations, according to owner Quynh “Q “ Trinh.
The abrupt closures of Qommunity and We Suki Suki came on Feb. 28 after the businesses received an unexpected visit from the Environmental Health Division of DeKalb County Public Health (DCPH). What transpired that day resulted in Trinh claiming she was selling the businesses to two current tenants and evicting two other tenants from Qommunity without notice.
The situation has since erupted into a tangled web of accusations, hearsay, and Trinh hastily proposing restaurant buyout agreements.
How it began
Trinh said that on Feb. 28, DCPH inspectors walked into We Suki Suki during lunch. They “wanted to know how all of this works,” referring to how the businesses operate in the two spaces. She said the inspector never made the reason for the visit clear to her. Trinh said the DeKalb health department has “harassed” her and misplaced or incorrectly documented paperwork on file for her businesses for years. She blames continual personnel changes at DCPH and their lack of clear communication.
When contacted by Rough Draft on Feb. 29, a representative for DCPH said they visited to determine if the businesses had been miscategorized as restaurants. They suspected the spaces were operating as an “unlicensed shared kitchen.” Trinh said she holds permits from 2012 and 2015 for 477 and 479 Unit B Flat Shoals Ave. SE listing each space as a “permanent food service establishment.”
A shared kitchen – where multiple businesses operate and share equipment – must be inspected by the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Office of Environmental Health. It’s a multi-layered approval process. When inspected in the past by the county, the businesses received passing health scores. But, according to DCPH, they’ve had ongoing issues determining the correct…
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