广州素有美食之都的美誉，外来餐饮的加入在这里成为一道靓丽的风景。而曾经风靡餐饮界的回转寿司连锁企业寿司郎在广州接连开店后，对于粤港澳大湾区的新发展有了更详细的布局。日前，寿司郎母公司food&life大中华区执行董事荒谷和男接受羊城晚报记者专访时，就回应了企业的数字化创新和在大湾区实现新发展等相关问题。
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.
谈创新 总部研发出有更多想象空间的数字寿司系统
innovation focus: digital sushi systems with expansive potential
工作日的广州天河万菱汇广场，中午十二点左右寿司郎店门前已经有顾客在等位了。“两个人吃130元就吃得很饱了，感觉挺划算的。”有顾客这样评价这家餐厅。
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.
寿司郎是一家日本老牌日料品牌，其前身是1975年在日本大阪开业的“鲷寿司”，直到1984年才正式以经营回转寿司为主业。“我们做回转寿司是把当时高级料理店才能吃到的食物变成了更大众化的回转寿司。”荒谷和男介绍,“比如说有很多寿司我们把价格设定为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."
这个实惠的策略助力寿司郎从2011年到2022年连续12年在日本回转寿司界获得营业额的第一名。
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.
当然，谈到企业的核心竞争力，荒谷和男的回答显得有点“普通”——最重要的一点就是美味。而完成美味的背后，必然还有企业的不断创新。
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.
“创新方面，我们与科技结合，在日本国内实验性地导入了一个叫数字寿司郎系统，这是寿司郎独有的系统。我们会在每一个寿司碟上装一个芯片，每一碟寿司在回转带上运行的距离达到设定的长度就会自动废弃，以此来保证每一碟寿司都是非常新鲜的。”荒谷和男还透露，“这个芯片的作用远不止于此，它通过跟寿司碟前面的菜牌芯片的联动识别这个碟上是什么寿司，进而判断这个门店的客人更喜欢哪些品种的寿司。通过数据分析，寿司郎就可以更好地实现门店的管理和配货。”
"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."
数字化的发展和创新带来更多可能。“我们希望能够成为一个国际的连锁餐饮，所以我们也在积极向海外拓展，并一直都在思考如何创新，让顾客有一个更愉悦更有趣的回转寿司体验。我们的数字寿司郎系统，在每个座位有一个非常大的屏幕，屏幕呈现回转寿司的商品以及介绍，顾客也可以在上面点单，还可以通过屏幕玩游戏，获取小礼品，极大增强了顾客全新的回转寿司体验。”荒谷和男表示，目前这套全新的数字寿司郎系统已在日本部分门店应用，这样的数字化创新应用也有望推广到日本以外的市场。
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.
谈融合 大湾区的营商环境更适合企业加速发展
integration perspective: rapid enterprise growth supported by the business environment in the gba
要做国际连锁，中国市场一定是重要的布局。自2021年在广州东方宝泰广场开设内地首店后，寿司郎就加快了在粤港澳大湾区开店的速度，不仅在广州正佳广场、万菱汇、悦汇城、美林m.live天地、北京路粤潮楼落地，还在深圳、佛山、东莞等地开店。
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.
“寿司郎2011年就在海外开了一家门店，到2023年12月末，寿司郎海外的门店数已经达到148家，占总体门店数的20%。”荒谷和男告诉记者，在进入粤港澳大湾区尤其是广东市场的时候，寿司郎更看中的是这里的消费习惯和供应链。
"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.
“广东的消费力真的是非常强，尤其是周末，大家不愿意宅在家里，而是会外出就餐。所以我们门店周末一般都是大排长龙的。” 荒谷和男在寿司郎刚举行了一场在顺德的鳗鱼产地直播之后谈到广东市场，更多提到了本土的食品的供应商。
"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.
“我们部分食材来自中国，比如跟顺德的鳗鱼工厂已经合作了十几年了，从寿司郎在中国还没有门店的时候，日本当地用的鳗鱼就已经是从顺德拿过去的。”荒谷和男透露。作为1994年就入职寿司郎的老员工，荒谷和男曾经担任过寿司郎首次在日本中部地区开店时担任寿司郎热田店店长，如今履职大中华区执行董事，拓店经验丰富的荒谷和男坦言：“粤港澳大湾区今后是一个不断腾飞的地区，寿司郎非常希望能够跟更多的大湾区的企业有更深入的合作。”
"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."
对于企业能够不断快速发展，荒谷和男认为，广东省在营商方面给予了企业非常多的优惠政策和大力的支持，“让我们在做生意方面更加得心应手，更容易去做事情。未来，寿司郎还将加大在大湾区的布局。”
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｜记者 孙晶 孙绮曼
图｜记者 严锦程
翻译｜刘佳慧
