Ryan Bullock Brings Sushi To Downtown Fredericksburg

Ryan Bullock is preparing to open The Orion Sushi Bar & Ultra Lounge at 318 William St.  The young entrepreneur -- chief executive of Dream Elements, LLC, has lived in the Fredericksburg area his entire life and moved into the city in 2012 in order to run for mayor.

"I've been downtown ever since and absolutely love it," Bullock told Patch.   "Downtown is literally a whole new world on its own when you're down here," he said.

Patch: When will the restaurant open?

Bullock: The anticipated opening date has not been set yet. One of the great things about owning your own business is that there's no one telling you that you need to be open by a certain date/time frame.

I want to make sure everything is absolutely perfect before we open our doors.  When I'm confident in our server's abilities to provide excellent service and our culinary team has perfected each dish, I'll set an opening date. We have a rough idea that we will open within the next 90 days; maybe sooner.

Patch: What made you decide to open a sushi bar in Fredericksburg?

Bullock: What started out as a want for a place to go downtown for dinner, turned into a conversation about how there are no sushi restaurants in walking distance downtown. That need alone was a key decision for opening. Not only does it add a verity of places to eat with different cuisines, but it's an in-demand thing for the downtown area.

Patch: What's your vision for the Sushi Bar - Ultra Lounge concept?

Bullock: This is the very first time that a little bit of a DC restaurant atmosphere will be brought downtown into the historic district. We've designed the concept to be both modern/contemporary, yet still fit in with the surroundings of Fredericksburg. 

Patch: What can people expect in an Ultra Lounge?

Bullock: You can expect to see something that you've never seen in a restaurant in downtown Fredericksburg.  That is a 100 percent guarantee. All furnishings have been custom fabricated from overseas; everything you see when you walk in was made/designed just for The Orion.

Many have asked, why not call it a lounge? Why Ultra Lounge— we feel our lounge is a bit more posh than a traditional lounge.

We will offer main dining seating, bar seating, window seating, lounge seating and outside seating. The atmosphere is low lighting, illuminated bar top and under counter/furniture lighting.  The restaurant has an amazing Bose Restaurant Sound System.  The Orion will feature a vast selection of imported liquors.

Patch: Why did you start your design firm Dream Elements, LLC?

Bullock: Almost everyone in my family comes from a very creative background. My late grandfather, Len Morganseay, was probably the most creative of all.  I stayed with him in Orlando, Fla., when I attended college. He taught me so much about designing and his out of the box thinking on concepts and visuals.

He had great success in his life.  He owned several businesses, was in charge of the design team for Christmas decorating for The White House, was responsible for flower arrangement designs for two presidential inaugurations, and was the  Director of Operations for an event planning company in Orlando with $10 million in revenue. His knowledge, wisdom and constantly flowing creative juices I guess naturally rubbed off on me.  A casual conversation over dinner  is where the idea for Dream Elements came from. My grandfather Len actually named my company, before his long battle with lung cancer ended in December 2009.

Patch: Why the name Orion?

Bullock: Believe it or not, my little sister named the restaurant. Orion comes from the constellation.  From that point on, we went with the theme of offering "Sushi Out Of This World." Our design is space themed, but done in an elegant manner to avoid anything cheesy.

Patch: Anything else you want us to know?

Bullock:  My father, Daryl Bullock, has been in the construction industry since 1986 and owns D.R. Bullock Construction.   He has literally built my entire restaurant from the ground up in order to save me money on construction labor. If it weren't for my father, none of my dreams would ever become a reality.

Luigi Castiglia, owner of Castiglia's, is my landlord. This past year he has mentored me on the do's and don'ts in the restaurant industry. He's become one of my best friends and a believer in me and my success.

Related Stories:

Bullock Third to Throw Hat in For Mayor (January 12, 2012)

Awesome Eats @ Castiglia’s (April 23, 2012)

Restaurant With Roof Top Deck to Open Late Summer (March 18, 2013)

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