The first thing I notice about Sammi Loo's restaurants is the ambiance.

I pick up a Latte from Mezza9, her French-inspired cafe in Downtown Rochester decorated with lush pink flowers. From there, it’s a short walk to Bebap, a Korean-American concept that opened about two years ago.

Above the restaurant is 1928, a Shanghai-inspired cocktail lounge.

Loo is one of Rochester’s most well-known entrepreneurs in the restaurant industry. She’s someone who thinks about the whole package, from the concept to the food quality to the presentation.

But sales at her businesses dropped 30 to 40 percent last year.

“I feel like we are facing a recession,” she said. “The spending power is low. People don’t want to spend too much money.”

As downtown Rochester grows, so, too, has its food scene.

The ci

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