Popular Mi-ne Sushi opens its fifth restaurant in Hong Kong
Mi-ne Sushi was established in Kumamoto, Kyushu, Japan nearly 25 years ago and is owned and operated by Japan-Dining-World Co. Ltd. The company entered the Hong Kong market in 2004 to tap into the city’s ever growing appetite for new food concepts. The company believed that Mi-ne Sushi’s unique style of Japanese sushi would be well received and this theory has proved astoundingly correct. To meet the increasing demand for its popular fare, Mi-ne Sushi opened its fifth branch in Tsim Sha Tsui in May this year. The company now employs approximately 150 staff in Hong Kong, its first overseas location outside Japan.
Hong Kong makes good business sense
In harmony with the initial Hong Kong market analysis Mi-ne Sushi directors conducted in 2004, the company remains very impressed with the favourable business environment that the city provides to foreign restaurant operators. “The city is undoubtedly the true culinary capital of Asia and Japanese cuisine is increasingly popular in Hong Kong, as well as elsewhere in Asia,” explained Mr Masazumi Hayashi, Managing Director of Japan-Dining-World Co. “Furthermore Hong Kong’s favourable and transparent regulatory environment facilitates efficient sourcing of the high quality raw materials vital to our business.” Mr Hayashi largely attributes the success of Mi-ne Sushi in Hong Kong to the ease of doing business in this dynamic and international city.
Hong Kong: main base for overseas expansion
At the time of the opening of its first restaurant here in 2004, Mr Hayashi said, “Hong Kong will become our main base for business expansion outside of Japan. With the Hong Kong market’s receptiveness to different kinds of goods and services, we believe we will be able to build a solid base here to grow our global network.”
The company has proved true to its word. During the past four years, the company has been capitalising on the business opportunities the city offers by opening additional restaurants in Causeway Bay, Mong Kok, Shatin and now in Tsim Sha Tsui. These major shopping and business districts provide the ideal amount of foot traffic for Mi-ne Sushi restaurants.
Secret to Mi-ne Sushi’s success
Mi-ne Sushi provides quality Japanese food in a comfortable and attractive dining environment at an affordable price. The restaurants offer the largest variety of sushi in Hong Kong, with more than 100 items on the menu all prepared according to their secret recipes. Most of the ingredients are imported from Japan to ensure the same safety and quality of food as in their headquarter location.
“Meeting our guests’ expectations by providing excellent service and the highest quality food is Mi-ne Sushi’s main mission,” said Mr Hayashi. To achieve this goal, Mi-ne Sushi invests heavily in food preparation and customer service training programmes, as well as creating a comfortable and rewarding working environment for staff. The restaurants do not take reservations, operating a policy of first-come, first-served, and are famed for having long customer queues at the entrance of their premises. This level of popularity and repeat business illustrates that Mi-ne Sushi’s business strategy is a winning one.
InvestHK’s ongoing support
InvestHK partners with clients on a long-term basis and has provided effective and free services and support to Mi-ne Sushi from when they first started evaluating the Hong Kong market to the opening of its latest restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui. Services have included advice on the Hong Kong culture, finding and assessing restaurant locations, securing work visas for the restaurant’s Japanese staff and supporting the successful launch of its restaurants, which included advice on the official opening ceremony and media support.
Mr Hayashi said, “Our business is very successful because we are doing business in probably the best market in the world. InvestHK has been there to help us at every step.”
www.minesushi.com