HT Talks Tech with Kura Sushi

Kura Sushi, a 40-year-old Japanese brand with over 600 locations worldwide, has established itself as a leader in the revolving sushi restaurant concept, which uses conveyor belts to move plates around the dining room. Kura Sushi USA, founded 15 years ago, operates 70 locations and plans to expand by adding 14 more U.S. units.  

Data-Driven Dining
Some of the technologies, such as the revolving belt, are not proprietary; however, Kura Sushi has more than 50 patents. “It's really the marriage of these technologies with our proprietary software and hardware, and 40 years of operational knowledge that gives us this advantage,” Porten explained.

Kura’s QR scan plate system, which feature plates with QR codes on the bottom, provide real-time data on consumption patterns, enabling demand forecasting and reducing waste.   

Related: Kura Sushi USA Adds QR Scan Plate System for Real-Time Consumption Analytics

Kura’s proprietary robotic arm removes plates after two hours, ensuring compliance without human error and keeping disposal rates as low as 3%. Additionally, the system identifies popular items, so locations can tailor their offerings to guests' preferences.

Automation Drives Scalable Growth

Traditional sushi preparation often demands years of training and is labor intensive. “Learning how to wash rice can been a two-year training process in a traditional sushi restaurant.  Learning how to make rice balls is a five-year training process.  Obviously, that’s not the sort of labor model that’s conducive to chain growth,” he said. Kura’s automated processes simplify tasks, and have eliminated the need for an executive chef at each location and fewer staff overall.  

“The reason we've been able to grow at over 20% units every year is because we've automated all the tasks that are typically done by the executive chef,” Porten explained.  Locations average $4 million in revenue and employ between 60 and 70 staff whereas a similar-sized restaurant has about 80-100 employees, he estimated.  

“It’s simpler to make sushi at Kura than it is to make a sandwich at Subway,” says Porten. Kura’s innovations, like the Mr. Fresh Dome—which eliminates the need for extensive washing of plastic domes—demonstrate its ability to balance efficiency with compliance to stringent U.S. health standards.

Gamifying the Dining Experience

Kura’s Bikkura Pon Prize System transforms plate disposal into an engaging activity. Guests slide plates into a table-side chute, which sends them to the dishwashing station. After 15 plates are deposited, the system automatically dispenses a random capsule.

“Rather than making guests feel like they’re doing work, we turned it into a game,” Porten said. The system has become a hallmark of the Kura brand, blending fun with functionality.

Many of Kura's customers are into gaming, and Kura has teamed up with the companies behind Demon Slayer, Tetris, PacMan and other games for promotions.  From October through December 2, Kura offered a limited-time menu of dishes inspired by Nintendo's Pikmin, such as the Blue Pikmin Cheesecake, Yellow Pikmin Cheese Tamago and Red Pikmin Crunchy Roll.

Guests were able to Pikmin collectibles available through the brand’s Bikkura Pon Prize System, including acrylic swing keychains, magnetic bookmarks and phone mounts.

“The majority of our guests probably play games in some sense or another... Gamifciation is something that people have come to expect with Kura, and it's something that we always think about in terms of opportunities to iterate on.”

Drink robots, which made their dining room debut in 2019, also add to the fun atmosphere. “The immediate idea was to improve customer service and reduce wait periods,” Porten explained. “We have this perception of being a fun tech restaurant.”  Plus, the robots are “a big traffic driver.”

Robots may not be right for every concept, Porten cautioned.  (Brinker International tested using dining room robot in its Chili’s Grill and Bar locations.)  “Because of our brand identity, it was an addition to our experience, so all our labor efficiency improved. Our customer service scores went up as well.”