Yummy Crab will soon take the place of Groovy Duck. The restaurant at 3165 S. Dirksen Parkway in Springfield, located in the Capital City Shopping Center, has been vacant since Groovy Duck closed in January 2018. The Hibachi grill and Ramen noodle bar closed after a little more than a year in business, citing internal remodeling, but never reopened.

Liming “Lee” Zhang, who owns a variety of Asian and seafood restaurants in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Pennsylvania, has announced plans to open Yummy Crab, his first Springfield venture. Yingying “Yuki” Liu, who is partnering with him on this location, said a lease has been signed and Zhang plans to remodel the location and have it open in about three months.

“We’ll serve appetizers, lunch and dinner,” Liu said. “The menu will have a lot of seafood and fried fish.” She also said the menu will include rolled ice cream offerings for dessert.

Liu currently works at an ice cream shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that specializes in rolled ice cream but says she plans to move to Springfield soon to manage the Yummy Crab restaurant. In the meantime, she is handling social media for the new restaurant, which has already generated a significant following, despite the fact that it is not yet open.

Zhang already has similar restaurants in other states that operate under the name Crazy Crab & Seafood, along with Japanese steakhouses and sushi bars.