Fishing Restaurant ZAUO

Mr. Kazuhisa Takahashi, President of Harbor House Cooperation and Mr. Takuya Takahashi, Vice President of above-mentioned company (from the left). They have been close brothers since their early years, when they were lively children.

Information media “Zauo Blog” dispatched by “Fishing Restaurant Zauo”.

On the occasion of launching the blog, please enjoy a special talk by Mr. Kazuhisa Takahashi, President of Harbor House Cooperation operating Zauo and Mr. Takuya Takahashi, Vice President of above-mentioned company.

This issue features the latter part of the talk.

As for the first part, please clickhere.

I: In Zauo, we can hear the voice saying “It’s fun” as much as the voice saying “It’s tasty”. What do you think is the reason such a voice is generated?

Kazuhisa: The starting point of Zauo is “We hope to entertain the customers with something nobody has done yet.” Every staff understands that, moreover they empathize with this idea together. Such empathy makes them act spontaneously. Our staff is pleased with a customer’s successful catch together with customers, while cheering the customers on faithfully until they could achieve it. Something like those attitudes or expressions might increase the customers’ idea that “this is fun”. This is an advantage of Zauo.

Some customer tells us “I remembered the pleasant time when having visited here before for our company’s year-end party. Since then, I had been hoping to come back here with my family after I married”. Furthermore, some customer is striving for rehabilitation exercise with a hope to visit Zauo again. Those things mean every customer might understand Zauo’s value in their own way.

We want to let every staff know such customers’ opinion, and they can feel rewarded with their job by customers’ happy faces or pleasant emotions.

I hope this positive chain reaction could last for a long time.

Takuya: When the IPO (Initial Public Offering) boom created a sensation in the restaurant business around 10 years ago, we actually experienced the time to change course aiming for IPO. Once having started the structural change in a different way such as the strengthening of management system and increasing sales figures through the expansion of branch restaurants, our staff’s consciousness started to change. The consciousness should have been oriented for good direction; however and unfortunately, the staff intended to focus on the sales figures as well as profits rather than customers.

When we recognized that, our company itself was making a dash for a goal of “going public on the Stock Exchange”. We should say that was not a “goal”, but a “purpose” without any clear idea what we should do with going public on the Stock Exchange. I was afraid of the scenario that Zauo, which we built up one by one, would collapse. Eventually, we made a decision not to go public. Then, we took an effort to attempt a course correction in apologizing to concerned people as well as closing some branch restaurants. However, that experience was a great opportunity for us to learn an important lesson that “Seeking only profit may cause the lack of concept”. Furthermore, we were lucky enough to have great staff to work together continuously even during the big turning point, saying, “Because we love Zauo”. Therefore, our goal is to continue our restaurant for a long time as a team in bringing out the customers’ comment that   “We are happy to find Zauo here”, not only chasing the sales figures, the profit and the number of branch restaurants. We would be more than happy if our customers enjoy the hospitality of Zauo, which could be offered only after having conquered such a difficult experience.

I: Can you please tell me your future goal?

Takuya: Including our father, founder of Zauo, we have a common stringent point of Zauo; “We hope to surprise and entertain somebody”. Before we set our goal, therefore, we rather should find the individual customer’s emotion and reflect those emotions in every corner of the restaurants. “Everytime you visit Zauo, you can be impressed”. We would continue our restaurnt and company with which customers have such an expectation even 100 years from now.

Kazuhisa: There are lots of restaurants which offer delicious meals, however Zauo’s customers are expecting something more beyond the great taste. In responding to that expectation, we should continuously provide the customers with a unique experience only Zauo can provide. We should always remember the impression of the playfulness of Zauo.

[Epilogue]

The touching episode with the customers, the experience bolstering the words “Taking a life of a living creature” and the true story which happened during the big turning point with the IPO boom… Our interview was proceeding with those impressive topics. Despite the impression with a combination of a mild-tempered elder brother and a hot-blooded younger brother, I found that there would be no difference in temperature between them in terms of the passion for Zauo, while feeling that “They have different output, but their focuses are well harmonized.”