Koi Ramen & Sushi
stats:
Location:
Johnstown, Colorado
Square Footage:
2,914 SF
Year Completed:
2026
Designed by F9 Productions | Built by F14 Productions
Koi Ramen & Sushi is one of those places that surprises you in the best way. Tucked into the center unit of a brand-new commercial development in Johnstown, directly across I-25 from Buc-ee’s, the restaurant turns what was once an empty shell into a space full of personality, movement, and life.
This was the first tenant finish in the building, which meant there was no precedent to follow and no shortcuts to take. Just a blank slate and a client with a clear vision for something fun, welcoming, and memorable.
From the moment you walk in, your eye is drawn to the heart of the space. A centralized liquor and sushi bar anchors the restaurant and stays in view no matter where you sit. It pulls people in, creates energy, and gives the dining room a natural rhythm that feels social and alive.
The Vision
The client wanted a restaurant that felt refined but not serious. A place that knew how to have fun without feeling gimmicky. The goal was to pair an industrial material palette with moments that spark curiosity and conversation.
F9 leaned into that idea by layering the space with playful features like animated bubble partition walls and the owner’s own steampunk-inspired clock fixture. These elements give the restaurant its character and make it feel approachable rather than precious. It is a space that invites you to relax, linger, and come back again.
Design Challenges and Collaboration
This project was also a first in another way. It was one of the early restaurant projects where F9 Productions handed construction directly to its sister company, F14 Productions. That close relationship mattered, because restaurants bring a very different set of challenges than most tenant finishes.
There were real, practical problems to solve. How plumbing connects between soda machines and soda guns at the bar. How a commercial kitchen hood could be reworked and hung from the existing roof structure. How tight clearances between kitchen equipment, ductwork, and adjacent spaces could still meet code and function properly.
Because design and construction were working together from the start, those challenges became manageable. Decisions happened quickly. Adjustments were made in real time. The project kept moving forward without losing momentum.
Layout and Flow
The plan is simple and intentional.
Guests are welcomed at a host station right at the entry. From there, the bar becomes the focal point, with seating both at the bar and wrapped around it. About seventy percent of the space is dedicated to dining, creating an open and social atmosphere. The remaining thirty percent is reserved for the kitchen, office, restrooms, and a walk-in cooler, all efficiently tucked out of sight except for the kitchen, whose energy can be seen and felt in all corners of the dining area.
Nothing feels wasted. The space flows naturally and works just as well on a quiet afternoon as it does during a busy dinner rush.
Construction and Sustainability
Although the base building is a non-combustible steel shell, it is classified as Type V-B construction. That allowed the team to use wood framing for the tenant build-out, which helped reduce framing costs without compromising performance.
In a small but thoughtful move, the owner sourced a secondhand commercial kitchen hood. It needed to be reconfigured to fit the kitchen layout, but reusing it reduced the need for new materials and aligned with a more practical, resource-conscious approach to building.
The Result
Koi Ramen & Sushi feels easy in the best way. Easy to walk into. Easy to understand. Easy to enjoy.
It is a restaurant that balances energy with comfort and design with function. A space that proves you do not need to overcomplicate things to create something memorable.
For the F9 team, it was a milestone project and a reminder of how rewarding restaurant design can be. Fast-paced, collaborative, and full of life. The kind of work that makes you hungry to do more.
