Sukairaku’s Plan to Preserve the Original Style of Suisan Udon

Will there be no more Shisan Udon?

On September 6, Kitakyushu citizens were shocked to hear the news.

Ltd., which operates “Shisan Udon” mainly in Kitakyushu City. The news was reported in national newspapers as “Kitakyushu City’s Soul Food Aims to Go Global from Nationwide Expansion” (Nikkan Gendai, September 14, 2012) and “Why the Acquisition of Sukayuraku’s ‘Shisan Udon’ is Delicious” (Toyo Keizai ONLINE, September 14, 2012). (Toyo Keizai ONLINE, September 14, 2012), and the acquisition was favorably received as an acquisition in the food service industry.

Then, on September 13, “Shisan Co., Ltd.” reiterated the news announced in February of this year that it would open its first store in the Kanto region at the end of 2012 in Yachiyo City, Chiba Prefecture, and also announced that it would open a store in Ryogoku, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, at the beginning of 2013. This was greeted on SNS with the following words: “I’ve been waiting for you! I never thought they would come to Tokyo. …… However, the majority of the local people had the exact opposite reaction.

We spoke with a regular visitor to Shizuka, a cab driver in his 60s, about the decision,

A taxi driver in his 60s said, “When the news came out in February of this year that the first Kanto branch would open in Chiba Prefecture, I wondered if this unique local style would really be accepted throughout the country.　I wondered if this unique local style would be accepted throughout the country. That was the first thing I thought. Only six months later, we were acquired by a major restaurant chain, so many passengers ask, ‘Is Shisan (the common name for Shisan Udon) going to disappear? …… Personally, I think the style of Shisan we know will eventually disappear.”

He revealed a feeling close to resignation. Other,

It’s a shame,” said a family member who frequents the restaurant twice a week, “because they didn’t go national before, and I liked the atmosphere because it didn’t feel like a chain restaurant.

(A family member who frequents the restaurant twice a week) “To be honest, we don’t like it.　I’m sure they will be replaced by catering robots or something.

Most of the customers voiced their concerns.

What is the unique side menu?

The first Shisan Udon store opened in Tobata-ku, Kitakyushu City in 1976. Since then, the number of stores along main roads has increased, and by the mid-1980s, it had become such a staple for the citizens of Kitakyushu that they called it “Shisan’s udon” when they talked about udon in Kitakyushu.

The most popular menu item is the “Meat and Goboten Udon. It is a warm udon noodle with five thin strips of thinly sliced beef stewed sweetly and a long, thin gobo-ten (burdock tendon). The udon soup is light soy sauce and quite sweet. The noodles are thick and soft on the surface, yet firm.

On the table there is yam kelp that can be freely added, and if you add a generous amount of it, the bean paste becomes entwined with the noodles. Most customers order warm udon even in mid-summer because they want to try this, and there are many long-time regulars who say they have never had cold udon at Shi-san” (writer for a gourmet magazine).

(A writer for a gourmet magazine) “In addition, there is an abundance of unique side dishes.

Oden and onigiri (rice balls) are served with warm udon, and the reasonable price of less than 1,000 yen is still very appealing. Other popular dishes include yaki udon (fried udon noodles), which is said to have originated in Kitakyushu, and Shisun’s special curry, and many customers become regulars for these dishes. The botamochi, handmade by the employees, has been a specialty since the establishment of the restaurant, with sales of 5.3 million units sold annually.

What the local regulars love most is the atmosphere inside the restaurant, which is “not like a chain store.

The restaurant offers a choice of table seating or a tatami room where you take off your shoes and sit on the floor. You take a cushion from the pile beside you and lay it down yourself. Many of the employees look like “aunties” who live in the neighborhood of the restaurant, and the distance between customers and employees is very close. Even the elderly can feel comfortable ordering. For the locals, if they don’t find what they want to eat, they just say, “Well, why don’t you go to Shi-San’s? If they don’t have what they want, they can say, “Well, let’s go to Shisun’s.” (A reporter from a local newspaper)

Isn’t a reduction in personnel inevitable?

However, the company that acquired Shisan Udon, “Sukai-Laoku,” has a track record of successfully reducing labor costs by introducing cat-shaped meal delivery robots at its “Jonathan” and “Gusto” restaurants. One can imagine that “Shisan” will follow suit.

I think automation will probably lead to the layoff of longtime employees,” he said. Older employees like myself are all worried.

A woman who has worked at Shisan Udon restaurant for more than 10 years expressed such concerns. We therefore sent a letter of inquiry to SUKAIRAKU HOLDINGS (Musashino-shi, Tokyo), asking about its future.

We asked the company about its plans for the future, and were concerned that the restaurant’s taste (will the sweet soup stock remain the same in the Kanto area? etc.) and the atmosphere itself will probably change.

Mr. Shizuka has been a member of the Sukairaku Group since October, and we would like to continue to carefully preserve the taste and service that has long been loved as Kitakyushu’s soul food. In order to deliver this taste to as many people as possible throughout Japan, we will utilize the infrastructure of the Sukairaku Group to expand our restaurants.

Some employees have expressed concern that automation and the use of catering robots will increase the possibility of employee restructuring.

Some employees are concerned that automation and the use of catering robots will increase the possibility of employee restructuring. “In the restaurant business, employees are an asset, and the restaurant group is strengthening its investment in people (hiring and training). The same is true for Shiseido, and we will place importance on creating an environment where all employees can work with peace of mind for a long time.

Many locals say, “We should never expand our business nationwide.

Many local people say that we should never expand our business nationwide because they are concerned that the taste and service will change.　I believe that this is because they are concerned that the taste and service will change. The Sukairaku Group is also a fan of Shiseido, and we will do our utmost to make as many people as possible aware of the appeal of Shiseido while carefully preserving the taste of Shiseido.

What kind of service and what kind of taste will be offered at the two new restaurants scheduled to open this winter? Fans of Shis-san are watching with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety.