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TheBuzz Erika Engle |
Genki’s growing
and going, in the
islands and on mainlandTHE recent opening of a Genki Sushi restaurant at Ala Moana Center is just the first morsel on the chain's full plate of expansion plans.
Japan-based Genki Sushi Co. plans 50 new stores, including 10 in Hawaii and 10 a year on the mainland, on the way to its goal of being listed on the Nasdaq within five years.
The company's precursor, Tobu-ten, pioneered the kaiten, or conveyor-belt style of sushi shop, back in 1969. It became popular in Hawaii in the 1980s, and Genki was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1991.
"The opening of our Ala Moana store will give us the momentum for a new push in the U.S.," said James Kayoda, Hawaii special adviser, in a statement.
A lease is signed for a new restaurant in Waikele, set to open in June, and the company is close to signing on the dotted line for space in Kauai's Kukui Grove Center.
"Our Kukui Grove location ... is going to be the first long-distance management type of operation," said Mio Lau, vice president. It will be the first off-island store for the company's Hawaii operators.
Other neighbor island locations on Maui and the Big Island are likely to follow, after the company sees how the Kauai operation fares. In the meantime, Genki officials are looking for spaces in Kailua and East Honolulu.
Genki is negotiating a lease for a central kitchen, "to obviously maximize purchasing and operations," according to Dalton Tanonaka, adviser to the company.
The central kitchen will house the prep work and catering functions.
Genki Sushi Hawaii Inc. will serve as the company's U.S. headquarters as local officials develop "the other Genki Sushis on the mainland. We're aggressively trying to expand," Lau said.
"We find it exciting because we want to publicly list (in the United States) in five years and to have headquarters in Hawaii, because it provides Hawaii an opportunity to jump to the mainland," she said.
"Usually the mainland is coming here, but we're going to have (U.S. headquarters) here, which is why we are working closely with schools" such as the culinary program at Leeward Community College and the Travel Industry Management school at the University of Hawaii, "to get the quality people into the system."
Genki's three established Hawaii locations are in Pearl City, Kaneohe and on Kapahulu Avenue, and employ about 100 people. Genki is hiring staff for the new store in Waikele.
In Japan, Genki owns and operates 202 locations. A franchise group, Genki Sushi Singapore Pte. Ltd., has the rights to 41 stores in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Bangkok and New York City.
"With the global economy picking up, we believe the climate is right for expansion," said Genki Sushi Co. President Tsuruo Hirota, in a statement. "And our basic recipe for success remains the same, quality sushi at an affordable price."
The Ala Moana opening Feb. 20 also featured the unveiling of Genki Man, a company mascot that will be a key element of its future advertising and promotions efforts.
"I think you'll see a lot of him now," said Lau.
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Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at: eengle@starbulletin.com