MU added a little Southeast Asian flavor to its campus Thursday with the grand opening of Sabai, the new dining hall located in Johnston Hall.

The event was a celebration. Truman the Tiger greeted customers outside and black, red and white balloons lined the path into Sabai. Patrons were then shown presentations on the various dishes the restaurant has to offer. Two laptops were set up, allowing people to “like” the Sabai Facebook page and enter to win an iPad 2.

Truman continued entertaining people inside, moving from table to table. Employees also made rounds, handing out free samples of their unique menu items, like white peach tea frozen yogurt. Customers were being served fairly quickly and seemed to enjoy what they had paid for.

“The menu doesn’t have a ton on it, but what is on it is really good,” freshman Melanie Weilert said.

Others enjoyed the experience as well.

“(Sabai) is vibrant and has many unique flavors,” freshman Cory Loeffelman said.

The grand opening ran smoothly, due to the fact that Sabai has actually been up and running for two weeks. The restaurant has been hard at work properly staffing and preparing itself for the event, while continuing to serve customers. Marketing Manager Michael Wuest said Sabai spent the weeks prior to the opening making sure production was consistent and the staff was well-trained.

“We wanted to be sure we were doing everything we could, and doing it well,” he said.

Sabai offers a menu of many Southeast Asian dishes, the most popular being the chicken curry and chicken fried rice bowl. It operates like Baja Grill, where each item on the menu constitutes a portion of a meal. Sabai took over the space that used to belong to former dining hall Eva J’s, which closed its doors at the end of last school year.

Even though Sabai hadn’t publicly announced its presence until yesterday, it still has profited from the last few weeks. Wuest said the initial response to the restaurant was mostly positive, but there were a few students who missed Eva J’s.

“Overall, people really enjoy the décor and the authenticity of Sabai,” he said.

Freshman Crystal Thomas has visited Sabai three times already and has enjoyed each trip. As opposed to other dining halls, she said she finds it efficient and very reasonably priced.

“I like that you know what’s on the menu from the beginning, instead of going into the other dining halls blind,” she said.

Her one complaint about Sabai is its location. She said finding the restaurant on the lower level of Johnston is no easy task.

“The back door is now locked, and walking through the front at night can be pretty awkward sometimes,” she said.

Although an outside street entrance would be preferred, Wuest said he still believes people, as they figure out their schedules, will seek out Sabai for its intimate atmosphere. Sabai is open from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 4 to 11 p.m. Sundays.

In the weeks to come, Wuest is confident that traffic will continue to pick up.

“Typically, business picks up after a grand opening,” he said. “We’re still working to be the best we can be.”