Harlan Judd and Ron Salvador, after years of managing the Shogun Family of Restaurants, are now owners of the six-location chain of eateries.

Through their Salvador & Judd Restaurant Group LLC, formed last year, the business partners acquired the Shogun properties in January from St. Louis-based Yoon Enterprises.

Judd said it was a natural evolution for the Shogun brand, which has three locations in Bowling Green and one each in Glasgow, Elizabethtown and Owensboro.

“Ron and I have been partners in different restaurants and were employed by Yoon Enterprises,” Judd said. “Ron has run Shogun since 1998.”

Salvador, a native of the Micronesian island of Pohnpei, began working in the restaurant business as a teenager and has served as Shogun’s chief operating officer since the restaurant opened in Bowling Green in 1998.

He now becomes CEO of Shogun, which operates the six locations employing more than 170 people.

With the same management team still in place, Judd doesn’t expect immediate changes for Shogun, which offers a variety of menu items in Bowling Green through the Shogun Express, Shogun Bistro and Sho Express Bowls & Rolls locations.

The traditional Japanese hibachi “show,” sitdown dining and sushi area will continue to be offered, but Judd expects some menu tweaks and maybe even some further growth in the coming years.

“We have some ideas for more menu choices, including crab cakes and some Kentucky dishes like fried green tomatoes,” Judd said. “We want to make sure the quality of the product stays the same and that we have the same family atmosphere.”

From its beginning in Bowling Green, Shogun has expanded to the three locations in other cities. Judd hints that further expansion could be coming.

“Our main goal is to provide a quality product,” he said. “But there is a possibility of expanding into some surrounding communities.”