Starting a Japanese restaurant business
Opening a Japanese restaurant is a refined option that is characterized by a high percentage of success, this, when the business plan is developed step by step, calmly and above all with a lot of passion. These are the main ingredients for any type of business, which allow us to achieve the success we desire. Stay until the end so that you know everything you need to start.
This type of restaurant, in fact, has had a significant increase in recent years determined by the appreciation of its main dish, sushi, which has spread all over the world and is appreciated by millions of people. So let’s look at how to open a Japanese restaurant.
Let’s get started!
Step by step of a Japanese restaurant
Before deciding on the location, which is one of the most important aspects of the initial stage, it is advisable to carry out a study of the competition and understand how the premises work, what type of customers they attract, the prices and what they offer in their restaurant, etc. This will allow you to familiarize yourself with the market to undertake.
The decoration of the restaurant should be minimalist in the purest Japanese style. Typical Japanese decoration is characterized by simplicity and elegance. Essential is the presence of the parquet, the characteristic low tables called tatami and lamps that remind the east, in addition to the display of the traditional kimono of the female staff room.
The menu will feature traditional dishes such as sushi, sashimi, nigiri, temaki, all presented in a perfect aesthetic. We can also think of a menu that will be offered during the week, to encourage the arrival of customers during the lunch hour.
How a Japanese restaurant works
One of the advantages of a specialized or thematic restaurant is that it becomes one of the points of reference for the public and therefore, it is one of the best options when opening a business in such a growing sector and with so much demand. This place for the preparation and sale of Japanese dishes must have professional chefs.
How much does it cost to open a Japanese restaurant? The opening costs can be between 50 and 100 thousand euros. However, remember that the price varies according to the premises you choose, the regular costs of this activity are related to staff management, public services, consumer products (food in particular), promotion.
Requirements for a Japanese restaurant
The bureaucratic procedures for opening this type of business do not differ from those needed to open a normal restaurant. What is particularly important are the operating permits and licenses that you must have and which regulate before the corresponding entities, the conditions of businesses that focus on the food sector.
On the other hand, it is extremely important to choose very well the team that will work in the local area, which must be close by and must demonstrate knowledge of Japanese cuisine, in order to offer customers curiosity and answer their possible questions. The kitchen and dining room staff need not necessarily be native speakers, as there is a certain ethnic heterogeneity in this type of business.
How do I promote my Japanese restaurant?
The first thing you must take into account is that you must work with both physical advertising and online advertising. Distribute flyers and paste pamphlets days before the launch of your restaurant, likewise, it is advisable to create a website that can be present in online directories of restaurants, from there you can attract many more customers by hanging your menu, publishing promotions and days of offers.
Remember that advertising is a constant activity that should be subject to your business, because it is key to maintain and remind the public of your presence. Add an eye-catching name to your business, short and witty and let quality be your main quality.
Key tips for opening an exotic Japanese restaurantÂ
To maximize your investment, a good option is to request SME contributions, which are provided by both regional and European institutions (In Spain), in order to encourage the emergence of new business activities.
In order to open a Japanese restaurant, it is essential to specialize in the cuisine you wish to offer consumers, in this case, Japanese cuisine. The key point to bear in mind is quality: it is important to bet on the quality of its ingredients and raw materials of choice. The success of a restaurant, like any other business, is undoubtedly in the professionalism and friendliness of the food brought to the table.
Weaknesses: one of the keys to a well-functioning Japanese restaurant is to have a minimum operating stock, which means choosing the right suppliers of the products for the preparation of the dishes.
This is a business that depends directly on the suppliers, so if this one fails us and we only have him, who doesn’t deliver and doesn’t offer us quality products, we would not only be losing time and money, but also prestige and good reputation from the public, which would end up leading our business to failure.
Points in favor: although this business idea proposes a considerable amount of investment, with a good proposal, a quality product and friendly attention, we could easily obtain the return of our money in a short time, this if we keep a constant publicity and we put into action another series of strategies that we tell you in our advice section.
Success stories
To observe the success of restaurants, not only in this specialty, but in others where passion and discipline have been the constants of the entrepreneurs, we present you some success stories of companies that today managed to open their own network of franchises in the market, which has made them the most important leaders.
Get to know their operation modes, their experience and the path to reach what they have achieved and start setting the course for your own Japanese restaurant to start growing.