Yo! Sushi

About Yo! Sushi

Yo! Sushi was founded in 1997, inspired by Japanese street-food and the trend for “kaiten” sushi, or conveyor belt sushi, where fresh sushi dishes were passed around on a belt, allowing diners to select their own dishes.

The first YO! Sushi restaurant was established in London, making an impact on the novel way of serving food, as well as popularising Japanese cuisine.

The brand has now expanded across the globe, with over 100 restaurants across 10 countries, and has a distinctive and recognisable brand identity, that combines Japanese pop culture, bright, colourful designs, and fresh tasting dishes inspired by Japanese cuisine.

For anyone keen to start a high impact and ambitious business in the food and drink industry, opening a franchise with YO! Sushi could be an exciting new opportunity.

Where is the YO! Sushi franchise head office based?

The head office for YO! Sushi is located in London.

How much does a YO! Sushi franchise cost?

Starting a Yo! Sushi franchise requires a significant investment, and potential franchisees interested in opening a single restaurant can expect it to cost around £250,000 to £550,000. For franchise owners keen to open a multi-store franchise, you can expect to invest around £1 million for five units.

Where can you find available territories for a YO! Sushi franchise?

YO! Sushi has opportunities for new franchise territories across the world as it is expanding across many new countries. For more detailed information on potential territories in the UK and elsewhere, contact the brand’s team directly.

How many YO! Sushi franchise stores can a franchisee open?

You may be able to open up to five units over a period of five years. This would depend upon the success of an initial restaurant, as well as your financial capability and experience level.

What kind of financial help is available to start a YO! Sushi franchise business?

You may be able to secure funding to start a YO! Sushi franchise from major business lenders, including most main high street banks. As YO! Sushi is a well known and highly trusted brand, the franchise departments of most banks may be able to help raise some of the investment amount, although you may be expected to hold assets for a significant part of the total figure.

What kind of background and experience should you have before starting a YO! Sushi franchise?

Having a background in the food and drink industry is highly recommended before considering starting a YO! Sushi franchise business, although suitable franchisees without this background may still receive training to help them develop the skills needed. Potential franchise owners should also have a strong interest in Japanese cuisine.

You should also have previous management and leadership experience, and be able to demonstrate strong business acumen, and the skills required to lead and motivate a busy
restaurant team. It is also essential to be able to demonstrate the financial capability to support and grow the business.

What kind of business opportunities are there with a YO! Sushi franchise?

Starting a business in the restaurant industry in the UK can come with a lot of business opportunities, as this sector has continued to grow over the past decade, with over £85 billion spent by consumers in 2017. While there are over 86,600 restaurants in the country, those that are part of well-known brands have been found to perform the best.

The YO! Sushi franchise has grown steadily since it was founded in 1997 and continues to grow on a global scale. The brand is well known amongst customers, and is a widely recognised pop culture icon, due to its innovative and stylish presentation. Having been used in many advertising campaigns for other global brands such as Microsoft, as well as being featured in popular films, the brand and its distinctive appeal are highly recognisable, across the market.

Although the brand has a few competitors in the restaurant industry across the UK, there are no other major brands that have such a unique profile. The brand has been recognised for both quality and value by consumers and industry experts, having won several awards for its dishes, and introducing a traffic light colour coding system, to help diners manage their nutritional intake. Their use of sustainably sourced fish has also won them widespread accolade across the industry.

For franchise owners looking to open a business in the restaurant industry, YO! Sushi offers the opportunity to be a part of a highly successful and trusted brand. Franchise owners have the advantage of the company’s effective and well-established marketing and advertising campaigns, as well as the many other advantages that come with being a part of a franchise, such as group buying power, and lower costs.

What sort of training and support is available with a YO! Sushi franchise?

YO! Sushi provides comprehensive training and support for their franchise partners, with training workshops for franchisees, as well as their general and project managers, head chefs, and other key figures in the business. Managers are usually given a month of training, while other team members get up to a week of training. These workshops are designed to help them understand the brand’s core values and processes, and further supported with a personal on-site visit from the YO! Sushi team, to help assess how to create an effective operation.

Once the restaurant has been established, YO! Sushi continues to provide detailed support, with in-house training for staff, help with design and project management. The brand also provides assistance with launching promotions and marketing campaigns and continues to help you at every stage of the business.

How to get started on investing in your own Yo! Sushi franchise?

For more information on opportunities to open a new YO! Sushi franchise restaurant, complete the enquiry form on this page today.