A Restaurant Only Zojirushi Can Create

After being asked, “please lead the start-up since we are going to set up ZOJIRUSHI ‘GOHAN’ RESTAURANT as a permanent establishment in Namba,” it was a continuous process of study and trial-and-error. I had been in charge of product planning in the past and thought I was familiar with planning new products. However, I was a complete novice when it came to restaurants. From the menu to tableware, interior design, staff training...there was a lot of preparation to be done from scratch, and thanks to the cooperation of professional consultants, contractors, and internal staff, we were finally able to open the restaurant.
If you are just aiming for a normal restaurant, it is probably best to leave everything to the professionals. However, what we want to deliver is “the happiness of eating delicious rice just like at home,” that only Zojirushi can create. We made the interior design not overly luxurious, but created a relaxing atmosphere. The side dishes are designed so that they are not too peculiar, but made with ingredients that can be found anywhere. With a lot of effort and ingenuity, we aimed to have our customers think “Nice! Can I make this at home?”

To Be Loved By Everyone

Rice is cooked in our Embudaki series and drinks are served in our tumblers. Because this is a place where the customers come into contact with a variety of Zojirushi products, we want them to be satisfied with every detail. Although it was a sense of responsibility as an employee at first, my love for the restaurant grew deeper and deeper as I examined each seasonal dish, item of tableware, among other things. Since the opening of the restaurant, I have been taking care of it every day as if it were my own child with the hope that “it is liked by as many customers as possible.”
“I enjoyed dining here” and “I want to come again.” I believe whether customers feel that way or not depends on the steady efforts and sincerity of the restaurant. Even though the basic operations are left to the professionals, I want to support them in customer care and quality control behind the scenes. Sometimes I visit the stores as a customer and try to experience firsthand whether there are any complaints or deficiencies in the service, and whether everyone is enjoying the experience.

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  (Above) Rice cooked using Embudaki rice cooker & warmers that are lined up

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  (Above) Rice cooked using Embudaki cooker/warmers that are lined up

Preserving the Japanese Rice Culture!

Three years after the opening of ZOJIRUSHI ‘GOHAN’ RESTAURANT, our first bento specialty store, ZOJIRUSHI GINPAKU BENTO, was also launched. The launch of this project was deeply influenced by the personal realization of Tokuoka, the person in charge of the project. It was his desire to “have our customers enjoy delicious rice even when they eat out or eat from bento boxes.” The fact is, after working as a rice cooker developer since I joined the company, I had become sensitive to the taste of rice through repeated tastings, and was surprised at the difference in taste between the rice I tasted outside and the rice cooked in our electric rice cooker & warmers.
Since my time in charge of development, I had also been keenly aware of “Japanese people’s loss of interest in rice.” Through my research for the development of the shop, I started feeling, “Perhaps the lack of access to delicious rice in the city is causing the growing shift away from rice?” and “What if we could convey the true taste of rice through bento boxes that can be easily purchased?” These feelings led me to propose a new project to the company.

Hidden Attention to Detail Even in the Way Rice is Washed

Although the proposal was approved thanks to the popularity of ZOJIRUSHI ‘GOHAN’ RESTAURANT providing a tailwind, the bento business was completely unknown to the company. While asking Ms. Kitamura to share her know-how from ZOJIRUSHI ‘GOHAN’ RESTAURANT, including working closely with a rice master to find the perfect rice and selection of side dishes that would go well with rice, we worked out the details. We were particular about the “deliciousness of rice” most of all, and selected an original blend of rice that maintained its plumpness and freshness as it cooled.
A challenge that was even more difficult to solve was to keep labor costs down to improve profitability as a business, while at the same time maintaining the deliciousness of rice as the Zojirushi brand. One of the secret measures we came up with to improve operational efficiency without sacrificing flavor was the joint development of an automatic rice washer. In cooperation with Rice Techno Products Co., Ltd., we developed an automatic rice washer with a unique program that can wash large amounts of rice efficiently and meticulously. It achieved a level of accuracy equivalent to hand washing recommended by Zojirushi when seen under an electron microscope.

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  (Above) Bento Specialty Store “ZOJIRUSHI GINPAKU BENTO,” where “rice is the main ingredient” (3rd floor, JR Shin-Osaka Station)

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Doing of Best to Hear Our Customers Say "Delicious!"

Even though we suffered some impact from the COVID-19 crisis, ZOJIRUSHI ‘GOHAN’ RESTAURANT has been so popular that people sometimes stand in line to get in. Sales at ZOJIRUSHI GINPAKU BENTO have also been strong, with an increasing number of repeat customers making reservations for excursions and conference bento boxes. Although we had difficulties because it was a new challenge, this project has been an unprecedented pleasure for me to be able to hear from customers in a different way than with the conventional products. These voices include, “It was really delicious,” “I always come to this restaurant when I’m in Namba,” and “My wife asked me to buy the bento again because it was so delicious.” Every positive word from our customers makes it worthwhile for us to do our best to deliver delicious food again today!

Communication Spreading from Rice

As we compared menus and bentos from various popular restaurants from the same perspective as our customers, we ourselves realized the depth of rice we had overlooked. One of them is “how to serve” and “how to pack” rice. The taste of the same rice can be surprisingly different depending on how it is served in a bowl or how it is packed in a bento box. At ZOJIRUSHI ‘GOHAN’ RESTAURANT, we would like to share our know-how on how to enjoy delicious rice through classes and seminars to deepen people’s knowledge about such delicious rice.
In addition, ZOJIRUSHI GINPAKU BENTO collaborated with local governments to develop a “local food bento” using local ingredients. We hope to help revitalize the local food culture through rice. The launch of ZOJIRUSHI ‘GOHAN’ RESTAURANT and ZOJIRUSHI GINPAKU BENTO made us realize anew the importance of food as a form of communication that connects people to each other. We would like to continue to refine the deliciousness of rice so that it will always be in the center of things.