The Sushi by Bou brand is gaining ground in major cities across the country, turning underused hotel spaces into intimate sushi counters for guests and locals alike—what founder Erika London describes as “approachable luxury.”
The brand was developed by London, Michael Sinensky and chef David Bouhadana as a “passion project,” London recalled. The partners had experience developing and operating sports bars and nightclubs, but dreamed of creating a distinctive restaurant for serious sushi fans. When an unused coatroom at a New York City hotel became available as a venue, the concept was born: Adapt small spaces and maintain an intimate vibe. Today, with more than 20 restaurants open across the country, most of the properties take up fewer than 1,000 square feet with a counter for between 12 and 16 seats, serving a 12-course menu with add-on options.
As the concept took off, the partners found that focusing on small venues could help drive guest loyalty. “Sure, there's a ton of different omakase experiences, but … for us, it's about capturing the guests and having them be a part of our community and not just coming in for a meal and processing their check,” London said. “It's a very personal experience.”
Entryway Omakase
The brand can be seen as an “entryway” to the omakase experience, London said, noting that this makes it a valuable commodity in markets that are not “saturated” with high-end sushiya. “We feel that the menu is a good composition of what you should start with.” While the brand has different “tiers” for different tastes, she added, “we are looking to keep that consistent across the country.”
The brand also is developing sister concepts for different markets and evolving guest demand. Sushi Suite takes over a hotel guestroom for a more exclusive experience, while Wagyu Room focuses on meat-forward omakase experiences and Omakaseed serves vegan fare. “It follows the same format, [with the] same structure,” she said. “Everything's the same in terms of the courses, in terms of experience—but it's a vegan experience. We've gotten a lot of feedback and requests to grow and spread that brand, so we're definitely working on bringing that brand to our existing markets as well.”
While the design and aesthetic of each venue is unique and meant to reflect the location, every restaurant has the same 12-course omakase menu, London said. “The core is the same, the menu is the same—but the experience is different.” To maintain consistency, each restaurant’s team trains at the brand’s established venues. “As long as they can understand the experience that we're looking to replicate, we bottle it up and serve it across the country,” she said. “It's a good value, and it's a good product.”
Gaining Ground
With more than 20 restaurants currently open and more on the way, London and her partners are being careful about where Sushi by Bou goes next. “We're looking very closely at the new markets that we're going into,” she said. The biggest risk, she believes, is moving into a market where that is already saturated with similar businesses.
“We've definitely seen a lot of success in established markets, and now we're definitely seeking out high-growth markets that have a high demand for premium dining—like Salt Lake City, for example, where we just opened, or Cleveland, where we're being embraced with open arms, because those markets are less saturated.” In terms of mitigating risk, she said, the team is focusing on emerging markets for strong growth opportunities.
Successful growth is “all about your team,” she continued, and having the right systems in place to accommodate whatever is around the next corner. “And as we scale, of course, as any growing and scaling business does, [we need to have] the right people in place that can identify problems before they happen.”
The leaders also make sure the operations team is “fully trained,” and the executive chefs check in on different markets and properties to maintain the consistency. (To that end, London said the leaders also work “very closely” with the vendors from all across the country, which helps keep the menu consistent from location to location.) “Our signature 12-course is, really, the starter kit for your omakase experience,” she said. “We are looking to keep that consistent across the country.”