The first Daruma Sushi restaurant, which was established some 15 months ago, quickly proved popular among lovers of Japanese food because of the particular attention given to quality ingredients and competitive prices.
Metha, 35, owner and managing director of Daruma Sushi Restaurant, said that after working as a salaryman for two months, he decided to quit his job and work at a Japanese restaurant near his house in Bangkok.
He had in fact always dreamed of having his own catering business since the five years he spent studying in the Australian city of Sydney, where he worked part-time at Thai restaurants and realised his love for cooking and dealing with people.
After gaining experience at a Japanese restaurant in Bangkok, Metha took a course in sushi cooking at the Dusit Thani Hotel, and began to seek a good location to fulfil his dream and open his own restaurant.
With an initial investment of Bt2 million, he opened the first Daruma Sushi outlet at Udomsuk Soi 50 off Sukhumvit Road, where he also took on the role of chef.
The main thing he always keeps in mind is the need to use good-quality raw materials in preparing food for his customers, so that they keep on visiting the restaurant.
Another strength is the competitive pricing at Daruma Sushi, including the many promotions devised to attract target customers, who are office workers and those in the middle-to-upper-income income brackets, he said.
“Nowadays, there are many Japanese restaurants, which are as easy to find as noodle restaurants. Enterprises need to decide on their strengths in order to ensure business survival. Daruma Sushi has focused on the good quality of its raw materials, most of which are imported from Japan, and on setting fair and competitive prices, while we will always create new promotions and campaigns to attract customers for every special occasion,” Metha explained.
He sometimes has to shoulder a loss after launching a special promotion, but it is worth it in the long run if it keeps customers coming back to Daruma Sushi, he added.
The managing director said that over the past year, competition among Bangkok’s Japanese restaurants had been particularly intense, resulting in a sales drop-off of 15-30 per cent.
However, his restaurant business has been able to survive by always creating new promotions and new menus to attract customers.
Daruma Sushi now has three branches on the eastern side of Bangkok – at Udomsuk 50, Paradise Park and Seacon Square.
Metha plans to open two more outlets in the near future, after which the Daruma Sushi brand will be opened up for franchising, as he would like to expand his business into other areas, as well.
To open and run a restaurant business, he said entrepreneurs should not only have knowledge about food, but also know-how in business management, as unexpected problems crop up on a nearly daily basis, whether it be a matter of the fluctuating cost of raw materials and ingredients, employee issues, or something concerning customers and service.
Enterprises need to know how to manage their business and create new promotions to draw new customers, as well as holding on to repeat diners, he stressed.
Daruma Sushi has about 50 employees at its three branches.