Restaurant in Tokyo. Need some advice.

[soul stitch]

Want to open a restaurant somewhere in Tokyo. I have the idea and some capital but Im not sure where to start.

At this point I'm trying to figure out where to put it and how much money will be required for rent. Will there be any special fees, etc..

If you know any websites that may have advertisements for the smaller spaces up for rent (old izakaya's, etc...) that would be very helpful.

edit: sorry this turned out to be less about loans

[Mulboyne]

How many covers are you looking for and what kind of customer? Lunch or dinner trade or both? Are you looking in the suburbs or the centre of town?

The best information on sites comes from local booze wholesalers. They generally know first when an existing place is up for sale and whether a new development has been licensed for a restaurant.

[soul stitch]

Im not sure what you mean by covers. Customers would be young adults. Both lunch and dinner and if possible a place to hang out, smoke & drink as well. As close to in town as I can afford. Thinking Harajuku although its probably too exspensive so somewhere similar.

What sites have the best info?

[Charles]

...Customers would be young adults...

Wha? You think it works like that, you just say your restaurant is for young adults and those are the people that show up? Or were you planning on having a doorman who only admits young adults?

[soul stitch]

Wha? You think it works like that, you just say your restaurant is for young adults and those are the people that show up? Or were you planning on having a doorman who only admits young adults?

Are you stupid? Have you ever seen harajuku? Yeah, its full of young adults. Get out of my thread (unless you have something useful to contribute).

[Charles]

Are you stupid? Have you ever seen harajuku? Yeah, its full of young adults. Get out of my thread (unless you have something useful to contribute).

Gee, my family only ran 3 different restaurants, so I guess I have nothing to contribute.

I regret to inform you that no matter how carefully you try to attract a particular audience, the people that show up will be your customers, no matter if they meet your demographic expectations.

[omae mona]

Im not sure what you mean by covers.

I have a hunch Mulboyne's using this definition:

A table setting for one person: Covers were laid for ten.

However, if you're using anybody else's capital and have no experience running a restaurant in Tokyo, then you might want to refer to this definition:

cover (one's) ass

1. Vulgar Slang. To take measures to avoid being held responsible if something goes wrong.

[nullpointer]

Im not sure what you mean by covers.

Ever heard of cover charge?

[sillygirl]

Are you stupid? Have you ever seen harajuku? Yeah, its full of young adults. Get out of my thread (unless you have something useful to contribute).

I say....

That's rather rude, considering you've just joined us...



Hope you're nicer to your customers...

[Mulboyne]

Thinking Harajuku although its probably too exspensive so somewhere similar.

What sites have the best info?

There really isn't anywhere similar to Harajuku so if that is your market then go for there. I'm not sure that "young adult" really describes the restaurant customer there, though. That would be more Daikanyama/Naka Meguro and Sangenjaya. It may just be semantics but Harajuku is more of a "youth" restaurant market. Are you thinking of a place like Unice?

When I said that drinks wholesalers have the best information on sites, I didn't mean websites, I meant the actual buildings. They provide alcohol and soft drinks to restaurants and bars so their own sales figures give a pretty good idea of when a place is doing badly which means they'll often know somewhere is likely to be available even before the landlord is told.

The late Miguel Angel had this to say about opening a bar in Tokyo:

Wasn't it hard opening up a bar in Tokyo?
Tell me about it!

What did you have to do?
Lie. About everything

Where do you go first?
It's really complicated and a very long struggle. You need to acquire and submit five licenses. The first one is a license that says you are allowed to serve food and drinks and that you are the main person responsible. This is my favorite one because it's a Lucifer red color. The second license is the one you get from the Department of Sanitation. The third is from the fire department. The fourth is the one you get from the police. You have to tell them you are running a bar and not a club. They might ask why people are dancing and you just tell them that they are drunk. They give you an after hours license. The fifth and last one is the contract you make with the landlord. It's really tough in the beginning. I had to do so many things my head was spinning. But once you finish, no one will bother you as long as you pay your taxes.

As a business, you have less tenancy protection than as a resident so you have to plan on the basis that your lease may not be renewed. This will mainly have an impact on how much you spend on your interior design. Tokyo is a very competitive market and the pace of new openings has picked up markedly so I recommend doing your homework. It's certainly not impossible to succeed here but good preparation will always win out.

[kurohinge1]

soul stitch, have you done your homework?



I'd usually be the last to defend Charles but I suspect he was trying to give you a 'wake up call' that could save you a world of grief, while Mulboyne-san has been very kind (as always) with his advice.

If you're serious, why not try and get a job in a restaurant you like in Tokyo for a year or so and see how it works. You'll learn a lot about the local industry and stand a better chance of making a commercially viable business.

Better still, you might just find the perfect person, with the knowledge and experience, who (with the right incentive scheme) could be enticed to run your business for you - suffering the long hours, dealing with ugly customers and staff, ordering, licensing, compliance, and the rest of the stress required in actually running it.

But then ...

[Jack]

I also want to open a western style gourmet fast food restaurant in Japan and did a lot of research with the help of 2 university students who helped me write the business plan. The main conclusion was that do not serve alcohol at first. The reason is to serve alcohol you need a manager who has served alcohol for at least 5 years first and those don't come cheap.

The second point was buy an existing business with a good location and tear it down to open your restaurant. In Tokyo it's not like you have street front stores vacant with a for rent sign on them. Street level locations are impossible to find.

Third, if you can't find it in your desired location, go somewhere else where you can learn the ropes of the business and establish supplier relationships. Then when a location comes up in your desired area you'll be the first one to know about it via your supplier relationships.

Fourth, you need a lot of money. My concept was no table service because if you want waitresses, the cost of the restaurant goes up exponentioally. Figure something like 40,000,000 yen for a small location including working capital. You can open a smaller place like a whole in the wall ramen shop but all you're doing is buying yourself a minimum wage job.

In Japan decor and atmosphere is very important. You have to have it professionally designed and it has to suit your target market. The best target market is females 22 to 45 with an average check of 7,000 yen per person.

Hope this helps.

[soul stitch]

Gee, my family only ran 3 different restaurants, so I guess I have nothing to contribute.

I regret to inform you that no matter how carefully you try to attract a particular audience, the people that show up will be your customers, no matter if they meet your demographic expectations.

Obviously who ever walks in is a customer, Charles. Obviously. My taget customer is young adults, and therefore I'll put it in an area full of young adults. And if 60 year old business men want to come in theyll be welcome. I dont remember saying I was going to bar people outside my target customer. If you want to help I'd apreciate it but be helpful instead of being a jerkoff.

[soul stitch]

Silly Girl , Ive been around since 2002 or maybe even earlier. just lost track of my user...

nullpointer, yah cover charge makes more sense. Definately wont be dealing with cover charges in this restaraunt.

Mulboyne , thanks for replying. Good read. Yeah, daikanyama was the other place I had in mind. I suspect my restaraunt concept will attract young adults in their teens up to their late 20's or so. (disclaimer for charlie: although I can't say who will actually come in until its open!)

Kurohinge, thanks to you as well. yah, I've worked in a sushi shop in Tokyo. Have a bunch of friends there to give me a hand, but what I'm trying to do is figure out how much money is going to be required to get this operation moving.

jack, as I suspected about the liquor. The truth is it's really just a resaraunt so alcohal wont be a necessity. Id love to see your business plan if you have any of it on disk. There's no way this one shold run 40,000,000 yen. Im going to rent the exhisting space instead of tearing it down and rebuilding, my interior plan is relatively cheap, and It's going to be really layed back. Order your food at the counter, sit down, well bring it out as soon as its ready type of thing. Nothing fancy at all and pretty cost efficient. The interior I've come up with will be super cheap but it's going to have a special atmosphere.

So anyways, ive answered a whole bunch of questions but barely asked any of my own. What are the licenses and other abstract fee's required for opening your own restaraunt? What's the average rent for a small-medium sized ramen shop on street level place in daikanyama/harajuku?

Has anyone opened their own restaraunt?

Thanks a bunch guys I really do appreciate it.

[cstaylor]

jack, as I suspected about the liquor. The truth is it's really just a resaraunt so alcohal wont be a necessity.

Are you serious? TIJ! You can get shochu at Dennys. You can kiss the > 20 market goodbye if you can't serve alcohol.

[Charles]

If you want to help I'd apreciate it but be helpful instead of being a jerkoff.

I AM trying to help you. Let's look at your situation more clearly. You're asking a bunch of STRANGERS on the INTERNET how to open a restaurant. This clearly indicates that you haven't the slightest clue about how to even begin to research the subject.

The restaurant business is extremely difficult, business failures are much more common than successes. Even the "successful" restaurants sometimes are unprofitable, and it is almost impossible to have long-term success without continual reinvestment. Profit margins are low, labor costs are high, so you will need deep pockets. Regulatory burdens are severe since you are serving food and liquor in a public venue, so you have health codes, food safety, fire safety, etc. etc. You'll lose sleep over whether the staff is skimming money or eating into profits by giving freebies, you'll even worry about whether your cooks wash their hands after they go to the bathroom.

The restaurant business sucks. Maybe you should try working in a restaurant for a while, and see if you even like the business.

[Ketou]

Maybe you should try working in a restaurant for a while, and see if you even like the business.

That's actually very good advice. Nothing worse than starting a business one has no prior experience in. Good luck with your research though.

[Mulboyne]

Jack said he was looking at a fast food concept which would make alcohol less important for his plan. If you want to be a restaurant open in the evenings where people can "hang out" then you would will almost certainly have to offer booze. You can even get beer at Excelsior Coffee and Freshness Burger. Can you think of a place similar to the kind of restaurant you want to run that isn't licensed?

[soul stitch]

I AM trying to help you.

Is this what you call help? hahahaha you havent provided me with answers to any of the questions ive asked. you are worthless.

Let's look at your situation more clearly. You're asking a bunch of STRANGERS on the INTERNET how to open a restaurant. This clearly indicates that you haven't the slightest clue about how to even begin to research the subject.

Actually, I am throwing the question out there in case there are any GAIJIN who have experience in *Japan*. Crazy idea on a gaijin site ISNT IT? I know it's fucking nuts cus all I would do if someone asked me about something in Japan is fucking ANNOY, BITCH, AND ARGUE with that person until I felt better about my retarded self and lack of a pen0r, just like you.

The restaurant business is extremely difficult, business failures are much more common than successes. Even the "successful" restaurants sometimes are unprofitable, and it is almost impossible to have long-term success without continual reinvestment. Profit margins are low, labor costs are high, so you will need deep pockets. Regulatory burdens are severe since you are serving food and liquor in a public venue, so you have health codes, food safety, fire safety, etc. etc. You'll lose sleep over whether the staff is skimming money or eating into profits by giving freebies, you'll even worry about whether your cooks wash their hands after they go to the bathroom.

NO WAI! RLY???

The restaurant business sucks. Maybe you should try working in a restaurant for a while, and see if you even like the business.

Go back to my last post, and re-read the part about me having worked for a Japanese sushi restaurant for a couple years. Yah, re-read that over and over until you understand it. Then know that ive been running restaurants in america for nearly 9 years now. I know what the restaurant business is like, thanks for your concern. I didn't know I had to submit my resume to get a little help.

So far you've provided nothing more than a lecture that was probably given to your anti-social, pessimistic, loser emo self because you mess everything up.

So I respectfully ask you to leave my thread cus youre just fucking it up too.

CSTAYLOR - alcohol wont be a problem. dont worry about it.

Mulboyne - i'll eventually get the right to serve it if not right at the beginning.

This isn't about my business plan (which you truthfully know nothing about at this point, and for a reason). This thread is about how to get started in Japan , i.e. finding a space to rent and what the avg. rent is.

I'll check back but I don't think you guys can offer any advice. Thanks to those who are helping (mulboyne, etc..)

[Charles]

Go back to my last post, and re-read the part about me having worked for a Japanese sushi restaurant for a couple years.

OK, let's go back to your post:

yah, I've worked in a sushi shop in Tokyo.

Yeah, that explained all about your 2 years sweeping floors in a sushi-ya.

So I respectfully ask you to leave my thread cus youre just fucking it up too.

You seem to be alienating everyone just fine without my input.

I'll check back but I don't think you guys can offer any advice.

Sure we can. Here's some good advice: you should wash your hands every time you use the bathroom.

[kamome]

Is this what you call help? hahahaha you havent provided me with answers to any of the questions ive asked. you are worthless.

Actually, I am throwing the question out there in case there are any GAIJIN who have experience in *Japan*. Crazy idea on a gaijin site ISNT IT? I know it's fucking nuts cus all I would do if someone asked me about something in Japan is fucking ANNOY, BITCH, AND ARGUE with that person until I felt better about my retarded self and lack of a pen0r, just like you.

So far you've provided nothing more than a lecture that was probably given to your anti-social, pessimistic, loser emo self because you mess everything up.

So I respectfully ask you to leave my thread cus youre just fucking it up too.

Soul stitch is right, I don't know why so many people are knocking him for asking a pretty innocuous question. He came to what is normally the right place to ask for advice. At least he's not asking where the next frickin' cosplay party is. That's bonus points in my book.

[tidbits]

[IkemenTommy]

Soul Stitch, I read snippets of the earlier posts, but I can tell you that Daikanyama area is a little more upscale and not geared towards kids. If you want to target kids, you are probably better off at locations like Shibuya or some of the less mainstream places like Jiyugaoka or Shimokitazawa where the rent is cheaper. Anyway, good luck.