Following the success of his F&D Woodfired Italian Kitchen in Orlando’s Hourglass/Curry Ford West district, owner Charly Robinson is planning a second location for Longwood. In a press release, Robinson, who also owns F&D Kitchen and Bar and F&D Cantina, both in Lake Mary, will take over the space that was previously home to Bayridge Sushi on State Road 434.

In a related note, Bayridge Sushi has left its original home on S.R. 434 and now occupies a spot nearby behind a McDonald’s.

F&D Woodfired Kitchen opened in late 2018, replacing a very short lived Peppino’s Organic Italian Pizzeria & Kitchen. The freestanding building has housed a number of restaurants over the years, mostly featuring Latin American cuisine. Most of those, too, were short lived.

One of the reasons, arguably, that Robinson was able to make a go of it here when others failed is that he increased the seating capacity, adding a covered patio to supplement the small inside dining area. Whether a restaurant survives is often a matter of doing the math. More seats, more profit.

Another reason F&DWIK is doing so well is that it serves good food. It has been critically well recieved and continues to maintain the high quality it had when it opened.

The Longwood location is aiming for a spring 2020 opening.

Ramenphiles are bemoaning the imminent closing of Sapporo Ramen, one of the area’s earliest purveyors of what is now a popular Japanese noodle trends. In a sign posted on the door of the restaurant, which is in the repurposed west Orlando shopping center known as Chinatown, the owners announced they are retiring and will permanently close on Dec. 28.

An image of the sign has been posted and reposted on Facebook by shocked fans. “I saw this in my feed and didn’t want to believe it. So I went there today to see for myself,” wrote one heartbroken customer. “Nooooooooooooo!!” wrote two or three others.

Sapporo, which I reviewed in 2013, preceded the likes of Domu, Jinya and downtown’s The Ramen and was notable for its more traditional approach to the noodle and broth delicacy.

The owners of the restaurant had also owned Sapporo Japanese Steak House in Daytona Beach, but that hibachi-style eatery closed in 2017.

OK, procrastinators, time’s up. If you still haven’t made your reservations for Thanksgiving Day dining, it’s officially the last minute.

If you’re just now starting to think about where to go for your turkey outing, don’t be surprised that most prime seating times have been snatched up already. You may find yourself sitting down to your feast before Santa rolls up at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. (I hope I didn’t spoil the parade ending for anyone.)

The good news is there are plenty of good restaurants that will be open on Thursday. So take a look at the listings and get to work. Here are some of the highlights from our sponsors.