Kazuo Aratani:Guangdong enhances our ease in business operations

廣州素有美食之都的美譽,外來餐飲的加入在這裡成為一道靚麗的風景。而曾經風靡餐飲界的迴轉壽司連鎖企業壽司郎在廣州接連開店後,對於粵港澳大灣區的新發展有了更詳細的布局。日前,壽司郎母公司food&life大中華區執行董事荒谷和男接受羊城晚報記者專訪時,就回應了企業的數字化創新和在大灣區實現新發展等相關問題。

guangzhou, known as the city of food in china, has welcomed the addition of international cuisine, creating a vibrant culinary landscape. among the new entries is sushiro, a popular conveyor belt sushi chain, which has opened multiple outlets in guangzhouand has further plans for the greater bay area (gba). in an exclusive interview with yangcheng evening news, kazuo aratani, executive director of food&life, greater china, discusses the company』s digital innovation and future development in the region.

談創新 總部研發出有更多想像空間的數字壽司系統

innovation focus: digital sushi systems with expansive potential

工作日的廣州天河萬菱匯廣場,中午十二點左右壽司郎店門前已經有顧客在等位了。「兩個人吃130元就吃得很飽了,感覺挺划算的。」有顧客這樣評價這家餐廳。

on a typical workday around noon, a queue forms outside sushiro's tianhe wanlinghui plaza outlet in guangzhou. "two people can eat to their fill for just 130 yuan. it's quite a bargain," remarked a satisfied customer.

壽司郎是一家日本老牌日料品牌,其前身是1975年在日本大阪開業的「鯛壽司」,直到1984年才正式以經營迴轉壽司為主業。「我們做迴轉壽司是把當時高級料理店才能吃到的食物變成了更大眾化的迴轉壽司。」荒谷和男介紹,「比如說有很多壽司我們把價格設定為100日元。」

sushiro, a longstanding japanese dining brand, originated as "tai sushi" in osaka in 1975, and transitioned to its current conveyor belt sushi model in 1984. "our approach was to make high-end cuisine more accessible through offering conveyor belt sushi,"explained kazuo aratani, "setting prices for many sushi items at 100 yen."

這個實惠的策略助力壽司郎從2011年到2022年連續12年在日本迴轉壽司界獲得營業額的第一名。

this affordability-oriented strategy has helped sushiro secure the top sales position in japan』s conveyor belt sushi market for twelve consecutive years from 2011 to 2022.

當然,談到企業的核心競爭力,荒谷和男的回答顯得有點「普通」——最重要的一點就是美味。而完成美味的背後,必然還有企業的不斷創新。

when discussing the company』s core competitive edge, aratani』s answer was simple yet profound: delicious food. however, behind this commitment to taste lies a continual pursuit of innovation.

「創新方面,我們與科技結合,在日本國內實驗性地導入了一個叫數字壽司郎系統,這是壽司郎獨有的系統。我們會在每一個壽司碟上裝一個晶元,每一碟壽司在迴轉帶上運行的距離達到設定的長度就會自動廢棄,以此來保證每一碟壽司都是非常新鮮的。」荒谷和男還透露,「這個晶元的作用遠不止於此,它通過跟壽司碟前面的菜牌晶元的聯動識別這個碟上是什麼壽司,進而判斷這個門店的客人更喜歡哪些品種的壽司。通過數據分析,壽司郎就可以更好地實現門店的管理和配貨。」

"in terms of innovation, we are leveraging technology and have experimentally introduced a unique system in japan called the 'digital sushiro system'. each sushi plate is equipped with a chip, and when the plate travels a predetermined distance on theconveyor belt, it is automatically discarded to ensure the sushi is always fresh," explained kazuo aratani. he also revealed, "the chip's function extends beyond freshness control. it interacts with chips in the menu cards to identify the type of sushion the plate, enabling us to determine customer preferences. through data analysis, sushiro can better manage inventory and supply at each location."

數字化的發展和創新帶來更多可能。「我們希望能夠成為一個國際的連鎖餐飲,所以我們也在積極向海外拓展,並一直都在思考如何創新,讓顧客有一個更愉悅更有趣的迴轉壽司體驗。我們的數字壽司郎系統,在每個座位有一個非常大的屏幕,屏幕呈現迴轉壽司的商品以及介紹,顧客也可以在上面點單,還可以通過屏幕玩遊戲,獲取小禮品,極大增強了顧客全新的迴轉壽司體驗。」荒谷和男表示,目前這套全新的數字壽司郎系統已在日本部分門店應用,這樣的數字化創新應用也有望推廣到日本以外的市場。

digital development and innovation offer even more possibilities. "we aim to be an international chain, so we are actively expanding overseas while continually thinking of ways to innovate and enhance the customer experience. our digital sushiro systemfeatures a large screen at each seat, displaying sushi options and descriptions. customers can order directly by tapping the screen and play games to win small prizes, greatly enhancing the conveyor belt sushi experience," kazuo aratani said. this newdigital system has already been implemented in some stores in japan and has the potential to be introduced to markets outside japan.

談融合 大灣區的營商環境更適合企業加速發展

integration perspective: rapid enterprise growth supported by the business environment in the gba

要做國際連鎖,中國市場一定是重要的布局。自2021年在廣州東方寶泰廣場開設內地首店後,壽司郎就加快了在粵港澳大灣區開店的速度,不僅在廣州正佳廣場、萬菱匯、悅匯城、美林m.live天地、北京路粵潮樓落地,還在深圳、佛山、東莞等地開店。

to become an international chain, sushiro believes that the chinese market is crucial. since opening its first chinese mainland store in guangzhou's east pacific mall in 2021, sushiro has accelerated its expansion in the gba. new outlets have been establishedin guangzhou at zhengjia plaza, wanlinghui, yuehui city, m.live, and yuechao building on beijing road, as well as in shenzhen, foshan, and dongguan.

「壽司郎2011年就在海外開了一家門店,到2023年12月末,壽司郎海外的門店數已經達到148家,佔總體門店數的20%。」荒谷和男告訴記者,在進入粵港澳大灣區尤其是廣東市場的時候,壽司郎更看中的是這裡的消費習慣和供應鏈。  

"sushiro opened its first overseas store in 2011, and by the end of december 2023, the number of overseas stores had reached 148, accounting for 20% of our total outlets," kazuo aratani told reporters. when entering the gba, particularly the guangdongmarket, sushiro was particularly focused on local consumer habits and the supply chain.

「廣東的消費力真的是非常強,尤其是周末,大家不願意宅在家裡,而是會外出就餐。所以我們門店周末一般都是大排長龍的。」 荒谷和男在壽司郎剛舉行了一場在順德的鰻魚產地直播之後談到廣東市場,更多提到了本土的食品的供應商。

"guangdong has very strong consumer spending power. especially on weekends, people prefer dining out instead of staying home. that's why our stores usually have long queues on weekends," kazuo aratani remarked after a live-streamed event at an eel farmin shunde. he emphasized the importance of local food suppliers.

「我們部分食材來自中國,比如跟順德的鰻魚工廠已經合作了十幾年了,從壽司郎在中國還沒有門店的時候,日本當地用的鰻魚就已經是從順德拿過去的。」荒谷和男透露。作為1994年就入職壽司郎的老員工,荒谷和男曾經擔任過壽司郎首次在日本中部地區開店時擔任壽司郎熱田店店長,如今履職大中華區執行董事,拓店經驗豐富的荒谷和男坦言:「粵港澳大灣區今後是一個不斷騰飛的地區,壽司郎非常希望能夠跟更多的大灣區的企業有更深入的合作。」

"some of our ingredients come from china. we've been collaborating with an eel factory in shunde for over ten years, and the cooperation started even before we had any stores in china. the eel used in japan has been sourced from shunde for a long time,"aratani revealed. having joined sushiro in 1994, aratani previously managed the first sushiro store in japan's chubu region and is now the executive director for greater china. with extensive experience in store expansion, he acknowledged, "the gbaisa rapidly developing region, and sushiro hopes to establish deeper collaborations with more companies here."

對於企業能夠不斷快速發展,荒谷和男認為,廣東省在營商方面給予了企業非常多的優惠政策和大力的支持,「讓我們在做生意方面更加得心應手,更容易去做事情。未來,壽司郎還將加大在大灣區的布局。」

aratani believes guangdong's favorable business policies and strong support have significantly contributed to the company's rapid growth. "these policies make it much easier for us to conduct business. in the future, sushiro plans to further expand itspresence in the gba."

文|記者 孫晶 孫綺曼

圖|記者 嚴錦程

翻譯|劉佳慧