Reiki brings new flavors to Texarkana

TEXARKANA, Ark. — A truck sits on Arkansas Boulevard, next to a detailing service. Fragrant steam wafts forth as waiting customers sit in their cars, waiting for their orders. And the cars keep coming, as word of these new flavors slowly get around the town.

“We do hibachi, Japanese sushi,” said Bagus Hidaya, co-owner of Rieki, along with Rieki Suparman, who also runs another restaurant in Mena, Arkansas. “We also have Indonesian dishes on our menu, some different flavors for the Texarkana market.

Signs advertising the coming of Rieki at its location have been up for six months, but they have only been open for about a week. Hidaya has been in the restaurant business for years, working at many Japanese restaurants all over the United States.

“Rieki was waiting for me to come to Texarkana from Marylands before opening,” Hidaya said. “He wanted me here before we opened the truck because he had his hands full with his place in Mena.”

The truck that was to be Rieki’s originally was open in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, but they moved it to Texarkana seeking an opportunity.

“We moved to Texarkana because we wanted a bigger recruiting pool for employees,” Hidaya said. “Plus, it is a considerably bigger city, with bigger business opportunities.”

“There has been a pretty good response so far,” said Ninu Prilyanti, Hidaya’s wife, who also works at Rieki. “Customers are starting to figure out where we are. We especially are getting a good response from local residents.”

Rieki Hibachi & Sushi on Wheels is located at 1308 Arkansas Blvd.

Staff photo by Junius Stone ■ “Nasep,” one of the chefs of Rieki Hibachi and Sushi on Wheels, preps a dinner for one of their waiting customers. Patrons fill the parking lot of the food truck’s location in air conditioned comfort, awaiting the culinary works of Rieki.