Scoop: Foo Dog will open in Scott's Addition next year

State of play: With its affordable menu (nearly everything was $12 or less), weeknight events like trivia and a killer happy hour, Foo Dog quickly developed a following after opening in 2014.

Yes, but: The pandemic's effect on city-centric dining, and the rise of Scott's Addition as a nightlife destination, drove Tsui to close the restaurant a year-and-a-half ago.

• He also closed Hot Chick, another of the dozen or so restaurants his Eat Restaurant Partners group owns and operates in the area.
• His plan was to open both as part of the food hall he had in the works at 3017 W. Leigh St. in Scott's Addition.
• Those plans fell through at the start of the year due a dispute with the contractor, BizSense reported.

The latest: The food hall may be dead, but Foo Dog will rise again in a small portion of the 17,000-square-foot Leigh Street warehouse.

• The majority of the space is being leased as an office, Tsui tells Axios. Once that lease is secured, work will begin on Foo Dog for a likely end of 2025 opening.

Worth noting: Foo Dog's OG chef, Kim Che — aka Miss Kim, who ran the all-female chef kitchen in the Fan — will be back running the ship at the new location.

• "Miss Kim" has been with the EAT restaurant group since their first day back in 2002, when Tsui opened his first Richmond restaurant, Osaka, he tells Axios.

What's next: In the meantime, Tsui has other restaurants in the works, including his first out-of-town expansion: A Wong Tacos that will open later this year in Raleigh.