Ma Soba Express Closes After 7 Years

When hungry Harvard students return to Cambridge in fall they’ll have one less option to satisfy their hunger.

Ma Soba Express, a Harvard Square fast food restaurant serving pan-Asian cuisine, permanently closed its doors Wednesday after seven years of operation.

The decision to close the restaurant—located in Holyoke Center adjacent to the intersection of Dunster and Mt. Auburn—was primarily based on a desire to exit the fast food business and instead focus on higher-class dining, according to Glen D. Mah ’94, who owns Ma Soba along with his brother Clarence E. Mah ’92.

“We’re exiting that segment of the market,” Glen Mah said.

The brothers will continue to own six restaurants located in the eastern United States and Canada, including one in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. None are fast food establishments.

Mah said that they made the decision to close the Harvard Square location at this time because their current lease with Harvard Planning and Real Estate (HPRE) was about ready to expire and had they renewed the lease they would have needed to invest significant capital into the business to keep it operational.

Mah also said that the brothers now spend much of their time in Florida working as part of a start-up telecommunication company and did not have the time available to operate as many restaurants in New England.

A former patron of Ma Soba said the closing took her by surprise since the store is typically busy.

“They certainly didn’t seem to lack for business,” said Becky Taylor, an employee of Harvard’s budget office in Holyoke Center and a regular customer of Ma Soba.

A lack of customer business was not responsible for the closing according to Mah, who added that the restaurant had been profitable for the brothers.

Mah also said that increasing rents in the Square did not play a factor in the decision to close the restaurant. Skyrocketing rental prices have forced many Square businesses to close in recent years, including Store24 just this spring.

Ma Soba Express had employed between 10 and 15 individuals. Mah said that the employees will be offered positions at the restaurant’s Beacon Hill location.

HPRE did not return phone calls yesterday seeking comment on the future plans for the former Ma Soba space.

—Staff Writer Daniel P. Mosteller can be reached at dmostell@fas.harvard.edu.