Main Chick Hot Chicken and Oi Asian Fusion celebrated their grand opening Saturday afternoon, Sept. 5, at the Uptown Commons shopping center at the northeast corner of Atlantic Avenue and Artesia Boulevard. () When four friends had the idea to expand their restaurant chain to North Long Beach, a global pandemic was not part of their plan. The Ninth District’s tight-knit community proved most supportive, however, in their endeavor to open those new eateries, even amid the challenges of the coronavirus outbreak. Main Chick Hot Chicken and Oi Asian Fusion celebrated their grand opening Saturday afternoon, Sept. 5, at the Uptown Commons shopping center. Amid the record-breaking holiday-weekend heat wave, patrons poured in to the outdoor dining location at the northeast corner of Atlantic Avenue and Artesia Boulevard. Kevin Popok, Calvin Skarlat, Paul King and Eric de la Cruz first dipped their toes into the restaurant industry with the opening of Oi’s first location in Canoga Park in 2013. “We became friends while playing a pickup basketball game years ago,” Popok said. “We started playing around with the idea of trying to get into the restaurant industry and the rest is history.” The Uptown Commons center serves as Oi’s […]