Sushi roll out

PINK SUSHI is a dynamic chain of Sushi restaurants that are soon to be released in Poland. Their sushi masters come with very rich experience supported by a number of courses and trainings. Their interior is inspired by modern, fashionable restaurants from Japan. And their food hopes to set the new benchmark of sushi in Poland, with a twist. We speak to Dawid Kościółek, co-owner of the Pink Sushi restaurant about their concept and plans for Poland. 

Is a sushi restaurant a good business idea today?

Definitely. Poles are already conscious consumers of sushi, they know this product, like it, and consume it regularly. Sushi is no longer perceived as a premium product. Today, almost everyone can afford it. In addition, we offer a wide variety of sushi - apart from the classic raw fish, there is also baked and even sweet sushi available. Everyone will find something they like.

You will open the first Pink Sushi restaurant next month in Rzeszów, Poland. What distinguishes your restaurant from the competition?

Our restaurants will be opened in places characterized by high pedestrian traffic; such as, shopping malls and large office buildings. This is necessary due to the unique way we serve our sushi. We’ll be serving our sushi from a conveyor belt. And what is important - the sushi conveyor will be located in such a way that it will be easily accessible from every table in the restaurant. We want our guests to be able to see their choices, giving them quick access to fresh and tasty sushi that has already prepared for consumption. This classic Japanese method ensures just that.

How many own restaurants and how many franchises are you going to open in Poland?

Soon we are opening our first restaurant in Rzeszów and we plan to follow with new stores opening in Gdańsk, Katowice, Kielce, Kraków, Lublin, Poznań, Sopot, Szczecin, Warsaw and Wrocław. Of course, if a franchisee would like to open a Pink Sushi restaurant in another city, this is also possible. We believe that in Poland there is room for several dozen sushi restaurants in our proposed format. This model can be seen already in other countries.

Who can become a franchisee?

It can be both the owner of an already operating restaurant (not necessarily sushi) who is interested in an original business idea. Or, it can be a person who has never been associated with the catering industry before but wants to run a successful business.

How much money will someone need to have to open a PINK Sushi restaurant?

For a current restaurateur, the investment will be much lower, because then you only need to adapt the premises and buy the necessary equipment. Someone who will open a restaurant from scratch should have at least PLN 200,000 (EUR 40,000) for the investment. Of course, this will not cover all the costs, which we estimate at PLN 500,000 - 1 million (EUR 100,000 – 200,000) depending on the size of the premises. However, you can use a loan or leasing, which reduces the amount of up-front investment. We also provide a part of the dedicated equipment, which will be transferred to the franchisee, which is worth several dozen percent of the entire investment.

How long can one expect a return on investment?

We have carefully analysed these style of sushi restaurants operating in other countries, and our estimates show that the return on investment (ROI) should most likely pay off within 12-18 months.