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| Koto Japanese Restaurant |
The taste of their food is very good also and it importantly isn't expensive. There are lots of Japanese customer also... Actually the customers at that time are all Japanese except me >//<
Before I finish eating, I decide to ask to interview the owner of the shop and luckily, I get that chance. His name is Jen Ittipinyu, 49 years old and he got a Japanese look. He has been to Japan for studying for two years and that is how he has entered this business. As we talk, I think he seems to be very good at management and planning and has a good eye foreseeing the business.
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| Jen Ittipinyu |
Here is the Q&A with Koto owner.
1. Q: What do you think about the trend of Japanese food in Thailand nowadays?
A: It's at its peak, so from now on it's going to fall down.
2. Q: What are the differences between Japanese food and Thai food?
A: Differences are that in order to make Thai food, they need to add lots of flavor besides its original taste, but in order to cook Japanese food, we use original flavor from the material such as the sweetness from fish. We won't adjust the taste by putting lots of flavoring. So we emphasis on its fresh and quality to make the dish yummy.
3. Q: What is the Japanese culture for eating?
A: The traditional culture is that Japanese people need to finish their dish before doing anything else. They cannot read any books while they are eating, but nowadays it changes. You can see from my restaurant. People come here to read books while eating their dishes. In one meal, they will also eat various kind of food and appetizers in a small amount. It's different from Thai where people eat big amount of food with no appetizers. They will usually order a set of food for their lunch, because it's a rush hour. They need to eat fast, so there didn't have time to choose what they really want to eat. They will order what they really like for their dinner.
4. Q: Who is your target group?
A: My unique point is to provide lots of Japanese cartoon books, so my target group is Japanese people who love reading cartoon books. Lots of Japanese customers come to my restaurant. It's also because I advertise my restaurant on Japanese newspaper in Thailand.
5. Q: How do you maintain the number of customers?
A: We need to have a very good service. Customers pay for their meal, so we need to treat them as good as possible. Importantly, every waitresses in my restaurant need to be able to speak Japanese to make the customers feel like being at home. We all also dress in Japanese style.
6. Q: What is your suggestion for newly opened Japanese restaurant?
A: I don't suggest you to enter this business nowadays as I said it's already been at its peak, so it's going to fall down. But if you really want to open, you need to first have basic skills in cooking Japanese food unless you will be very tried and may get corrupted easily. Second, you need to maintain the taste of all products. Third, everything in the restaurant must be clean and all materials need to be fresh and good in quality with affordable price.
7. Q: Please list out the most important factors for your business to survive?
A: 1. Fun and updated cartoon books are my unique point for this business.
2. the taste of food must be good and stable.
3. Good service can build really good relationship with the customers.
4. the location is matter and the parking lots also count in customers' decision making.
8. Q: What do you suggest if I will include sushi into the menu?
A: Sushi can give you a very good profit, but it is hard to keep and stay fresh. You need to sell them all day by day, so there is a risk on its good profit. If you want to sell sushi, I recommend you to open a news restaurant that provide only sushi, so that the customers will only focus on sushi and you will be able to have a chance to sell without any waste.
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