午夜剧场

"An amazing shop that is delicious and lively"—this was my first impression of "Sukesan Udon." In March 2018, I was appointed President and CEO of Sukesan Co., Ltd., which operates the Kitakyushu soul food "Sukesan Udon." My first encounter with Sukesan was a few years before my appointment, when a colleague invited me on a business trip, saying, "There's a delicious udon shop, let's go eat there." The happy smiles of all the customers there are still burned into my memory.

After graduating from university, I worked in various industries such as Sony, BCG, and Uniqlo, but this was my first time in the food and beverage industry. Furthermore, I had no experience in the position of a business manager, and I felt anxious, but I have been able to come this far supported by my experienced colleagues.

Looking back, I changed schools many times until elementary school, and even after entering 午夜剧场 Futsubu School, I was a boy who would take on new things if I became interested. At Juku High School, I joined the American football club seeking new experiences, and for university, I went to SFC, which had just been established. I have always challenged myself in new environments together with my peers. "Challenging new things" may indeed be my starting point.

After taking office, every day was a constant confrontation with new walls. All employees of Sukesan are partners in building the future together, and their existence is the driving force for overcoming those walls. However, the situation was completely different immediately after I took office. Several years had passed since the founder's death, and everyone was unable to imagine the future; they had fallen into the trap of past success and lost the courage to take a step forward. Therefore, we first gathered everyone from executive management to store managers and spent half a year discussing thoroughly where we were headed, creating the management philosophy "Filling it with Happiness." At the same time, we focused on accumulating success stories one by one, such as opening stores in new regions, challenging new products, and launching mail-order and SNS. As a result, confidence gradually sprouted, and I believe we have become a good team that is always challenging itself. I believe that truly delicious food and good service will work anywhere. I want to deliver Sukesan throughout Japan and the world, filling it with happy smiles. Currently, we have expanded beyond Kyushu to open stores in Kansai, growing to 71 stores, nearly double the number when I took office. We have also decided to open a store in Tokyo this winter, and while busy with preparations, I feel the high expectations from everyone. While savoring the happiness of being able to continue challenging at the forefront toward Japan and the world, I want to keep running toward the future with my colleagues.

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.