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An has signed a letter of intent for a space at , near the Las Plazas at Old Vail. The sprawling commercial area off South Houghton and East Old Vail roads is just south of a 4,900-home Rita Ranch master-planned community.

An said he hopes to open in November.

“Doing my homework out there, I noticed that every restaurant that’s there is packed,� said An, who opened Hoki Poki at in late April.

The Rita Ranch/Vail location will be one of six in the greater ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ area that An plans to eventually open. He is eyeing locations in Marana, central ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and Sahuarita, although he’s not committed to anything beyond the Rita Ranch space, he said.

“I’ve been thrilled to death by the response I’ve been getting from people,� he said Wednesday, hours after he posted a note on Facebook to residents of Vail and Rita Ranch about the possibility of also bringing a small version of his upscale MiAn Sushi & Modern Asian Cuisine to the area.

Hoki Poki is the second venture for An, son of iconic ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ restaurateur Kwang C. An (Mr. An). In spring 2017, he opened his upscale MiAn on the ground floor of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Electric Power company’s headquarters at 88 E. Broadway.

Almost exactly a year later, he announced plans for Hoki Poki, saying in March that he wanted to offer ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ a healthier dining option. Poke is deconstructed sushi: raw fish and sushi rice dressed in various sauces, served in a bowl and topped with vegetables.

Poke is a fairly new genre to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s dining landscape. The first poke eatery came in May 2017 when PokeZone opened at 54 W. Congress. Since then, a number of sushi restaurants have added poke to their menus and several poke-centric restaurants have popped up; Hoki Poki was among the first wave.

An said business at the Grant Road Hoki Poki has been “going so well that I want to do more.�

“It’s been fun. I have really enjoyed the Hoki Poki. We’ve been so busy. It’s been silly busy,� said An, who admitted he’s emboldened by the restaurant’s out-of-the-box success to grow the brand.

“I think there’s so many people who live out in the Vail area and so few restaurants. There’s nothing with a healthy alternative,� he said.