Tips for Opening a Sushi Restaurant

Diners have very strong opinions about what separates "good sushi" from "bad sushi," and most are willing to pay a premium for an expertly crafted roll that can satisfy their cravings for this unique dish. In fact, the ability to market sushi at a higher price point than other types of Asian cuisine is often a driving factor for many operators opening a sushi restaurant.¹

Opening a sushi restaurant has its own unique challenges but that shouldn't deter prospective restaurateurs looking for a particularly rewarding venture. According to IBISWorld, the profitable sushi industry in the United States should continue to grow² as customers continue to demand this trendy food – and having a good business plan will maximize your chances of starting a successful sushi restaurant. Read on to find out more about how to open a sushi restaurant, from legal considerations to stocking your operation with the right sushi supplies and equipment.

Table of Contents

Getting Licenses & Permits for a Sushi Restaurant

As with any business venture, starting a sushi restaurant begins with conducting market research, writing a business plan, and completing a lot of paperwork.³ Other important steps include:

• Making your sushi restaurant a legal entity, which starts with a general business license. These can be obtained at city hall, which is also a good starting place to learn how to open a sushi restaurant in your area and about the other local licenses you may be required to procure.
• Since you'll presumably employ other individuals in your sushi restaurant, you'll also need to fill out the paperwork to apply for an Employer Number through the IRS.
• If you plan to have five or more employees, you'll need to carry Workers' Compensation insurance through your state's bureau.

In addition to those general business licenses, you'll be responsible for obtaining several food-specific permits and licenses. You'll need to register with the Department of Health and will likely be required to obtain a food handler's license before opening a sushi restaurant. If you plan on serving beer, you'll have to obtain a license from the local beer board, but to serve liquor, you'll need the separate approval of your state's ABC board. Requirements vary based on city, county, and state laws, so it's important to check with local

Choosing a Location for Your Sushi Restaurant

Choosing an ideal location will have a dramatic impact on your restaurant's likelihood for success. The market for sushi is no longer limited to urban settings as it was several years ago. Now, you can find fresh sushi prepared in suburban grocery stores and on the menus of casual eateries that don't specialize in Asian cuisine. Sushi still thrives in urban centers, though, especially those with an active nightlife and a concentration of working professionals.

Putting your business within walking distance of office workers on their lunch breaks can bring booming business during that daypart, and a thriving bar and club scene can bring patrons in for dinner and a midnight snack. By this point, you should have conducted research on the market and competition in your area; analyzing this data can guide you to the best location for your sushi restaurant.

Hiring a Sushi Chef & Deciding on a Menu

It takes years to become a professional sushi chef. Traditionally, a chef-in-training spends as many as five years just preparing rice and performing simple prep tasks before they're deemed ready to begin prepping fish.⁴ It's essential to hire a professional chef who knows the nuances of preparing sushi and who can train additional staff to do the work when he or she isn't there. Taking time to vet and hire a qualified chef is critical to ensure you serve a product that will keep customers coming back, and their professional knowledge will also be a valuable source of info on how to open a sushi bar.

The type of food we generically call "sushi" encompasses several distinct styles, including:

• Makizushi, literally "rolled sushi," consists of rolls of various ingredients wrapped in seaweed and rice and cut into bite-size pieces.
• Uramaki, meaning "inside-out" roll, is a popular riff on the makizushi. It's so named because the rice is on the outside of the roll.
• Nigiri-zushi is a simple piece of raw fish on top of a ball of rice and vegetables.
• Sashimi is simply a fresh slice of high-quality, uncooked fish.

A sushi menu offering different options in each style will give customers a reason to keep coming back. However, you should consider serving other types of popular Asian fare – including noodles, stir-fry, and hibachi – to appeal to a wider audience.

Tips for Serving Safe Sushi

Sushi has a reputation for being healthy⁵ – but serving sushi comes with safety concerns that serving other types of food does not. Though not all sushi contains raw fish, many popular rolls do, which is why many squeamish folks swear off sushi altogether. Luckily, there are a number of precautionary measures that can be taken to almost eliminate the risk of making your patrons sick by serving them uncooked fish.

Food distributors label fish that has been handled to minimize the presence of foodborne pathogens as "sushi-grade," which you may be surprised to discover has no legal definition.⁶ The FDA does offer guidelines for handling fish that will be served raw, including freezing the fish to -4 degrees Fahrenheit for 7 days or -31 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 hours to ensure parasites have been destroyed.⁷

The most reliable way to source safe, fresh seafood is to get to know your supplier.⁸ If it's an option in your area, source your fish from a supplier dealing only in seafood, rather than from a catchall food distributor. In addition to ensuring you're getting the freshest, safest food available, building a relationship with your supplier will help you understand the precautions taken to keep their seafood safe, and you're also likely to be informed on good deals and limited-supply catches.

Buying Equipment & Supplies for Your Sushi Restaurant

If you plan to open a quintessential sushi bar, you'll need sushi cases that put your fresh creations front and center, with wide windows and bright lighting that entice customers to try something new. Choosing a sushi case begins with determining the right width. This is as easy as measuring the counterspace you can dedicate to the unit. Keep in mind that about a dozen or so inches of the total width is comprised by the refrigeration system, with the remainder dedicated to cold storage for your sushi and sashimi.

Sushi cases need clearance on the end where their refrigeration equipment is located so they can intake enough air to effectively cool their contents. Cases usually require 6 inches of clearance on the compressor side, meaning they need to be installed with at least that much space between them and surrounding equipment or walls. Verify your intended setup will accommodate this requirement and choose a case with its compressor on the correct side.

Sushi restaurants should consider investing in the following equipment to round out their menu offerings:

• Tempura and other fried dishes can be cooked quickly and efficiently in a commercial deep fryer.
• Cooking traditional Asian fare such as stir-fry is most efficiently done in a wok range, obviously using woks.
• Searing and grilling meats should be done on a commercial grill.
• Cooking steak and finishing off a number of dishes is made easier with a broiler.
• Cooking rice in the large batches needed in a sushi restaurant calls for a commercial rice cooker, available in capacities from 10 to 100 cups.

Tools & Supplies for Sushi Chefs

Cutting boards are important tools to have, not just for the convenience of your chefs but also to maintain food safety procedures during all stages of prep. Consider investing in color-coded boards and other food safety products to ensure you have dedicated utensils for each type of product you prep. This will reduce the chances of cross contamination, especially between raw and cooked meats.

Sushi chefs depend on highly specialized cutlery to perform the precise cuts it takes to make world-class sushi. These are generally traditional Japanese knives, including:

• Deba and sashimi knives for preparing fish.
• Nakiri and usuba knives for prepping vegetables and other ingredients.

Another essential tool every sushi restaurant should have on hand? Sushi rollers, also called bamboo rolling mats, make it possible to assemble sushi components into the aesthetically appealing, compact rolls diners are willing to pay top dollar for.

Dinnerware & Serveware for a Sushi Restaurant

Because the experience of eating sushi is nearly as much about the dish's presentation as its taste, it pays to put some thought into the serving items you use to bring those fresh creations to your guests. Consider the following options for your dining room or sushi bar:

• Sushi plates and boxes: Made of wood or bamboo, sushi plates are a traditional way to present rolls in American sushi restaurants. Round sushi boxes come at a higher price point but offer a more decorative alternative to plates.
• Sushi boats and displays: Elevated racks and boat-shaped sushi displays provide a dramatic presentation.
• Asian dinnerware plates: Traditional plates and trays, especially rectangular designs, are often used to bring sushi rolls to the table. These can also be coordinated with plates and bowls used for other menu items, such as soups and appetizers.

Asian dinnerware is often made of melamine, which is offered in many patterns traditionally associated with Asian eateries. Melamine is a sensible choice where chopsticks are used because those utensils are easier on the surface of melamine than metal utensils. Because melamine is generally less costly, more durable, and just as easy to clean as ceramic dinnerware, it can prove to be a cost-effective investment.

Beyond dinnerware and serving platters, tabletop service in a sushi restaurant isn't complete without chopsticks and chopsticks rests, soy sauce dispensers, and sauce dishes.

Resources

1. Why so many of America's sushi restaurants are owned by Chinese immigrants. The Washington Post. Accessed April 2021.
2. Sushi Restaurants in the US. IBISWorld. Accessed April 2021.
3. 10 steps to start your business. SBA.gov. Accessed April 2021.
4. What is it like to train to be a master sushi chef? Medium. Accessed April 2021.
5. Is Sushi Healthy? Here's Everything You Need to Know. TIME. Accessed April 2021.
6. The Sushi Grade Myth. PBS.org. Accessed April 2021.
7. FDA Guidance on Serving Raw Fish. FDA.gov. Accessed April 2021.
8. Best practices for seafood purchasing. Nation's Restaurant News. Accessed April 2021.