F&LC opens first sushi izakaya restaurant “Sugidama” in Boston, USA. “Sakabayashi Sushi Tavern Back Bay” to have its grand opening on April 25th

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FOOD & LIFE COMPANIES, Inc. (Headquarters: Suita City, Osaka Prefecture; President and CEO: Mizutome Koichi; hereinafter F&LC) is pleased to announce the grand opening of Sakabayashi Sushi Tavern Back Bay, the first US store of Sugitama, a popular sushi izakaya restaurant with over 80 stores in Japan and Hong Kong, on Thursday, April 25th. On the day of the opening, the restaurant was filled to capacity with many customers, and there were many inquiries about availability. Customers expressed surprise and excitement, saying, “All the dishes are amazingly delicious,” and joy, saying, “I’m so happy because there was no authentic Japanese restaurant in this area,” and the restaurant got off to a good start. F&LC is expanding overseas to achieve its VISION, “Let’s change the taste of everyday life. Let’s spread joy to the world.” The opening of a store in the US is the 9th area including Japan and the 155th store overseas. We will strive to deliver “deliciousness” to as many customers as possible in Boston, USA.

The grand opening of Sakabayashi Sushi Tavern Back Bay, Sugidama’s first US store.

The Grand Opening of Sugidama’s First U.S. Store

When opening the first US store, we carefully expressed the experience value of “Sugidama” through authentic yet playful food and drinks, store interior, and affordable price range. The Japanese product development team worked hard to reproduce the popular menu in Japan, and created a wide range of Japanese dishes, including sushi, sashimi, tempura, and ramen for finishing. In addition to carefully selected sake, we also have a wide selection of drinks, including cocktails made with sake that were newly developed for US customers. Yosuke Tanaka, F&LC Executive Officer in charge of overseas business and North American business, and President & CEO of FOOD & LIFE COMPANIES USA, LLC, which operates the store locally, commented on the grand opening, “We are pleased to be able to deliver our carefully selected sushi, Japanese food, and sake to customers in Boston’s Back Bay as our first US store. We hope to provide local people with a new Japanese food experience and become fans of our store as a place they can visit on a daily basis. The walls of the store are dotted with motifs unique to Boston, and we hope you will find and enjoy them.” Starting with this first store, F&LC aims to fully convey the appeal of “Sugidama,” which has established a new style of “sushi x izakaya” and will work with local staff to create a store that will please customers in Boston, USA.

＜ What is a “Sugidama” ＞

The popular sushi izakaya restaurant “Sugidama” opened its first store in Nishinomiya Kitaguchi, Hyogo Prefecture in August 2017, and has since expanded mainly to the Kanto, Kansai, and Kyushu regions. Combining COMPANIES’ ingredient procurement and product development capabilities, the restaurant offers sushi and a la carte dishes that are particular about freshness, taste, and appearance, as well as its proud selection of sake that goes perfectly with meals. In August 2022, “Sugidama” crossed the ocean for the first time and opened its first overseas store in Hong Kong. In order to allow Hong Kong customers to experience the charm of Japanese “Sugidama,” many of the Japanese menu items have been reproduced exactly as they are, and the restaurant has been well received in Hong Kong, where the Japanese food market is also large. In the future, the restaurant plans to expand to other regions, and aims to become the second overseas brand following the conveyor belt sushi restaurant “Sushiro.” ■ “Sugidama” official website: https://www.sugidama-sushiizakaya.jp/

＜The meaning of the name “Sakabayashi” in Boston, USA＞

“Sakabayashi” logo

This time, for the first time in the US, Sugitama will open a store in Boston, and the store will be named “Sakabayashi.” Originally, “Sugidama” was also called “Sakabayashi,” and was traditionally hung from the eaves of sake breweries as a symbol of sake brewing.In the United States, we have kept as much of the world view, store layout, and menu of the “Sugidama” brand as possible, but have changed the store name to “Sakabayashi,” which has the same meaning.

<F&LC’s accelerating overseas expansion>

F&LC began its overseas expansion in 2011. It has opened conveyor belt sushi restaurant “Sushiro” in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, mainland China and Indonesia, as well as the popular sushi izakaya restaurant “Sugidama” in Hong Kong, and has now opened a store in the United States.
FY24-26 Medium-term Management PlanIn F&LC, we have set the goal of “continuing to expand our overseas business, aiming for a 40% sales ratio in FY26” and are focusing on spreading joy to the world with the brands we have honed in Japan. The number of stores has steadily expanded from 38 stores at the end of the fiscal year ending September 2020 to 135 stores at the end of the fiscal year ending September 2023, and we aim to reach more than 400 stores by the fiscal year ending September 2026, a roughly tenfold increase over the six years from fiscal 2020. Furthermore, during this period, we have begun preparations to expand all four of F&LC’s main brands (Sushiro, Kyotaru, Misaki, and Sugidama) overseas.

■Store Overview

Store name:

Sakabayashi Sushi Tavern Back Bay

Location:

665 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116

Pre-opening:

Saturday, April 13, 2024 17:00 (Boston time)

Grand Opening:

Thursday, April 25, 2024 11:30 (Boston time)

Opening hours:

11:30-15:00, 17:00-22:30 (Boston time) *Only open from 17:00 to 22:30 during pre-opening

Number of seats:

82 seats (56 table seats, 10 counter seats, 16 terrace seats)

Menu:

Approximately 30 types of sushi, approximately 50 types of a la carte dishes, approximately 40 types of drinks, approximately 10 types of lunch menu

Grand Opening Merchandise:

Bluefin tuna fatty tuna $4, Fujiyama carpaccio $8, Sakabayashi Boston roll $8 *Sales are scheduled for April 25th to May 8th. However, sales will end once all items are sold out. There is a limit to the number of items sold per day. Sales may be suspended or canceled depending on the stock situation.

Official website:

https://sakabayashi.com/

Press Release PDF

<Contact for media inquiries regarding this matter>

FOOD & LIFE COMPANIES, Inc. Public Relations Department, Public Relations Division
TEL: 06-6368-1063 (weekdays excluding weekends and holidays)
MAIL: press@food-and-life.co.jp
URL: https://www.food-and-life.co.jp