Rockin' and rollin'

When entrepreneurs Lance Hallmark and Gerri Mach opened the first location of Rock N Roll Sushi in Mobile in 2010, they drew on their personal passions to develop the restaurant’s unique theme and atmosphere.

“It combines their love of rock ‘n roll with their love of sushi, and honestly it has worked out really well,” said Dina Shunnarah, owner and manager of the chain’s newest location, at Shops of Colonnade.

The chain now has 25 locations around the South, 15 in Alabama and three in the Birmingham area. Rock N Roll Sushi management is happy with their new Colonnade location, which opened in June. 

They are also determined to maintain the quality of both their food items and the atmosphere at their restaurants, and they are looking to open more locations in the metro area.

The Colonnade location should have no shortage of potential customers, according to Shunnarah.

“Highway 280 is always busy, and Colonnade is between Inverness and Mountain Brook, which gives a fresh sushi option to the area,” she said. “There is a big business community on Highway 280, as well as residential. It’s the best of both worlds.”  

Customers seem to enjoy the food, according to Shunnarah. “Everything is fresh,” she said. “The sauces are made in-house.”

The top-selling menu item at Rock N Roll Sushi is the Michael Jackson Roll, which has shrimp tempura and cream cheese on the inside, fried and topped with their signature crab mix, according to Shunnarah.

Also popular are the Heart Roll and Tommy Lee, she said. The Heart Roll has shrimp tempura, crab meat and cream cheese. The Tommy Lee Roll, named for the legendary Motley Crue drummer, is an elaborate dish with spicy tuna, crab meat, seared filet mignon and other ingredients.

The atmosphere is also a draw for customers, according to Shunnarah. “We are a fun place to hang out,” she said.

“We strive to hit the mark at the highest level” on both food and atmosphere,” she said. Rock N Roll Sushi is taking advantage of an increasing acceptance of its food category.

“Sushi has grown in popularity tremendously over the past decade,” Shunnarah said. “We also pride ourselves in sushi knowledge, so we are happy to answer any questions people have.”

Hallmark and Mach teamed up with Joe Ragsdale in 2015 and started franchising the operation. Ragsdale is now a co-owner and the company’s senior vice president of business development.

Lance Hallmark’s brother, Ryan Hallmark, opened the first Birmingham area location of Rock N Roll Sushi in 2011 in Trussville and deserves a lot of credit for the chain’s success in the area, according to Ragsdale. “Because of Ryan and his staff ... the Birmingham market is our top market in the chain,” he said.

There is also a location in Hoover. The Rock N Roll Sushi concept will soon have a place in the Birmingham City Center, as well.

Shunnarah plans on opening a location at the new mixed-use Lakeview Green development on Fourth Avenue South in Lakeview, which is scheduled to be complete in spring 2019.

She is also looking for locations in the Alabaster area, with plans to open a location there in about 2020.