ATLANTA — Kiyoshi Takahara Nakato, who helped operate Intown Atlanta's Nakato Japanese Restaurant and expand the brand throughout the Southeast, died Jan. 1. He was 68.
"Kiyoshi worked tirelessly to help support his wife’s family business," an announcement from the Nakato family reads. "His kind temperament, patience and love for both staff and guests served as a supreme example for his daughter, Sachiyo 'Sachi' Nakato Tahakara who runs Nakato Japanese Restaurant today."
Kiyoshi Takahara Nakato married Hiroe Nakato, daughter of the restaurant's founder, Tetsuko, in 1978. The couple first met at Nakato Japanese Restaurant. They took over operations following Tetsuko Nakato's retirement and opened new locations in Charlotte and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, before moving the Atlanta original to its current location on Cheshire Bridge Road. The Nakato chain now includes an outpost in Springfield, Missouri, as well.
Read more on Atlanta Business Chronicle.
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