Onigilly Japanese Kitchen

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kojikanematsu/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=onigilly-franchise-onigiri-japanese-kitchen-koji-kanematsu-take-away-2730563" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Koji Kanematsu</a>, the founder of&nbsp;<a href="https://onigillyfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=onigilly-franchise-onigiri-japanese-kitchen-koji-kanematsu-take-away-2730563" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Onigilly Japanese Kitchen</a>, recently joined&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-oches-5923bb13/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=onigilly-franchise-onigiri-japanese-kitchen-koji-kanematsu-take-away-2730563" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sam Oches</a> on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxnJfkbGIWY&utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=onigilly-franchise-onigiri-japanese-kitchen-koji-kanematsu-take-away-2730563" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">“Take-Away” podcast</a> to talk about bringing the Japanese rice ball snack onigiri to the United States. In the conversation, Kanematsu detailed how he had to reset his brand after COVID-19 and how those pivots shaped the company’s current growth strategy, which now includes franchising and expansion into Southern California.“I got a vision that if I bring onigiri here, people are going to be appreciative because onigiri is such a convenient food,” Kanematsu said. “I decided to focus on onigiri, and from the beginning my vision was to become a nationwide concept.”Kanematsu’s career had started in technology, where he co-founded startups and worked on system development projects. But he also had restaurant experience from his college years in Tokyo, and the combination of tech-driven systems thinking and culinary background prepared him for entrepreneurship. In 2008 he launched&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/onigilly/info">Onigilly</a> in San Francisco, starting with a farmers market tent before moving to a food cart and eventually brick-and-mortar locations in the city’s financial district.“At first, we had a tent and went to farmers markets, and then we moved to a food cart,” Kanematsu said. “That was challenging because I'm from Japan and had no credit history. When I found a good space and wanted to open a store, I couldn't get approval from the landlord or the bank. There is an NPO called La Cocina in San Francisco’s Mission District. I joined their incubation program. They’re a food incubator. I got a fund from their lender and training from La Cocina, and then we got a food cart.”Building awareness of onigiri was not easy. Many Americans associated rice with side dishes and expected sushi when they saw rice and seaweed. Early customers were often confused, and sales were slow. Over time, Kanematsu experimented with new fillings and adjusted the rice-to-filling ratio to create versions of onigiri that resonated more with American palates.“At first I thought traditional onigiri could sit here, but the reality was different,” he said. “Early on, we couldn’t sell much because of cultural differences. In Japan and many Asian countries, rice is the main thing. In the West, rice is a side or not common. Onigiri translates to rice ball, so people think that’s too much rice. I wanted to adapt to the American market. It took five years to figure out the right onigiri for Americans. We changed a lot of recipes. We tried hundreds of fillings. The most important thing was the rice-to-fillings ratio.”By the time the company had five stores, COVID-19 brought downtown San Francisco to a halt. With offices empty and foot traffic gone, Kanematsu closed all locations. He experimented with ghost kitchens and other menu concepts, but ultimately discovered a new path forward: mall kiosks. The format gave the brand visibility in high-traffic areas and positioned onigiri as a convenient snack or meal option.“When you go to shopping centers, you don’t get many snack options,” Kanematsu said. “In the food court, the food can be too heavy. If you want a quick bite, a pretzel might be the best option, but there’s nothing savory. Onigiri can be lunch or snack. People grab one or two for a snack, or three and side dishes for a meal. We cover a lot of demands. A pretzel is a snack but not a meal. That’s why our sales are strong with such a small space.”Today Onigilly has six locations, including kiosks and brick-and-mortar stores, and is expanding into Southern California with company-owned and franchise units. The simplified operations make the concept easy to scale while the menu reflects years of careful adaptation to American tastes.“We’re targeting Southern California. We’ll open a few company locations there and a franchise in San Diego,” Kanematsu said. “After that, we’re targeting major cities. It can be quick. We set up the supply chain, have machine inventory, and a great franchise development team. We can be quick, but we have to be careful. We don’t want to confuse people or be seen as just sushi like in the early stages.”Kanematsu’s journey with Onigilly has been defined by persistence and flexibility. What began under small farmers' market tents has evolved into busy mall kiosks. Kanematsu has reshaped recipes for U.S. customers while holding onto his vision of onigiri as an everyday food. After nearly 20 years, that persistence has the brand positioned for a new phase of growth.Watch the full podcast on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxnJfkbGIWY&utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=onigilly-franchise-onigiri-japanese-kitchen-koji-kanematsu-take-away-2730563" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">YouTube</a>.To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/onigilly">https://1851franchise.com/onigilly</a>.

Onigilly Japanese Kitchen Franchise - Koji Kanematsu - Take-Away With Sam Oches - 1851 Franchise

Onigilly Franchise Growth: Koji Kanematsu’s Vision for Onigiri in America

1851 Franchise

Koji Kanematsu’s journey with Onigilly Japanese Kitchen shows how cultural adaptation, persistence and smart pivots can create a scalable restaurant brand.

This brand page has been paid for by ONIGILLY JAPANESE KITCHEN. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

Take-Away With Sam Oches: How Onigilly Found Its Footing in America

onigilly-franchise-onigiri-japanese-kitchen-koji-kanematsu-take-away

FRANCHISE INFORMATION

Own an Onigilly Japanese Kitchen

About Onigilly

Everyday Eats With a Healthy Twist

Onigilly Franchise Costs

10 Reasons to Invest

Learn

Visit Website

ONIGILLY JAPANESE KITCHEN

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

TikTok

YouTube

SOCIAL MEDIA

Onigilly Franchise Sets Sights on San Diego Expansion

Maximize Your ROI: How Onigilly’s Low Operating Costs Drive High Returns for Franchisees

Onigilly Japanese Kitchen Closes 2025 With Record Sales Growth and Expanding Franchise Pipeline

ONIGILLY JAPANESE KITCHEN MOST READ STORIES

1851 LOGIN

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

ABOUT ONIGILLY JAPANESE KITCHEN

CONTACT ONIGILLY JAPANESE KITCHEN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

First Name

Last Name

Email

Phone

How did you hear about us?

Location of Interest (City, State)

Have you operated a business before?

Let's Spread Onigilly Together!

Onigilly Japanese Kitchen - Deep Dive 2026 - 1851 Franchise

Onigilly Franchise Costs, Fees, Profits, and Data for 2026

onigilly-franchise-costs-fees-profits-and-data

Onigilly Franchise - Target Market - San Diego - 1851 Franchise

onigilly-franchise-san-diego-restaurant-expansion

Onigilly - Low Operating Costs Drive High Returns for Franchisees - 1851 Franchise

onigilly-franchise-fast-casual-franchise-opportunity

SAN FRANCISCO —&nbsp;<a href="https://onigillyfranchise.com/">Onigilly Japanese Kitchen</a>, the fast-casual concept centered on traditional onigiri rice balls, is closing 2025 with record sales, double-digit traffic growth and a fast-growing franchise pipeline, marking its evolution from a founder-led concept into a scalable modern brand poised for wider expansion in 2026.Founder and CEO&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kojikanematsu/">Koji Kanematsu</a> says 2025 was the brand’s strongest year to date, driven by demand for convenient, healthier global flavors and a more structured approach to growth.“This year, we anticipate around $2 million in revenue across our corporate locations,” Kanematsu said. “We’re seeing rising interest in onigiri, and our concept is attracting more customers across all our units.”Across&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/onigilly/info">Onigilly’s</a> core locations, guest traffic surged in 2025. The San Francisco restaurant saw a 28 percent increase in traffic, while the San Jose location grew 18 percent. A new restaurant in San Francisco’s Stonestown Galleria is already approaching $1.8 million in annualized sales.“For sure, we can say double-digit growth,” Kanematsu said.On the culinary front, Onigilly continued to lean into simple, focused innovation. The team introduced a limited-time spicy pumpkin onigiri around Halloween and Thanksgiving, which quickly became a guest favorite.“We keep our menu simple, but because of the success, we are planning to do more,” Kanematsu said.The brand also launched a loyalty program called SAMURAI CLUB and stepped up marketing efforts in 2025, further strengthening its foundation for franchising.This year marked a turning point in Onigilly’s evolution from a small, founder-driven operation into a franchise-ready system. The company filed its Franchise Disclosure Document and received approval to franchise in California in September.Since then, Onigilly has opened its first franchise location and built a robust pipeline of new restaurants.“We have one franchisee currently operating, and another five who have either secured leases or are very close to doing so,” Kanematsu said.Unlike many emerging brands, Onigilly’s corporate team takes an active role in guiding franchisees through the real estate process.“As the franchisor, we assist in identifying and negotiating locations, then offer those options to our franchisees,” Kanematsu said. “This support reduces the heavy lifting for them, helping them get started quickly and accelerate growth.”In addition to the six committed franchisees, Onigilly is in discussions with several more prospective partners and has identified multiple promising new sites.“Right now, we’re confident about opening 15 to 20 franchise locations next year, with the potential for even more,” Kanematsu said.Kanematsu says the first year of franchising underscored the differences between a franchise business and operating corporate locations, as well as the importance of building systems around owner success.“Managing a corporate location is more straightforward because we hire and guide the general manager, and we have a clear line of sight into operations and success,” he said. “Franchise ownership is a different structure, which requires a different approach. Even with manuals and training, there’s a unique process in how you motivate and support franchisees effectively.”Those lessons are shaping Onigilly’s priorities for 2026. The company is investing in its headquarters support team and establishing systems to ensure deliberate growth with the right partners.“Our focus now is on our franchisees’ success,” Kanematsu said. “Our team is strong, but we’re investing in additional support, so franchisees have the resources they need to thrive. Support is our top priority.”While many of Onigilly’s franchisees are already interested in multi-unit development, the brand is taking a disciplined, one-restaurant-at-a-time approach to expansion.“Our priority is making sure franchisees are happy, well-supported, and fully understand the gap between their expectations and reality,” he said. “Once that foundation is in place, they can consider additional locations. We want to ensure they are both capable and motivated—that’s our approach.”Beyond the numbers, Kanematsu remains focused on Onigilly’s founding mission: introducing authentic, healthier Japanese fast casual to a wider American audience and establishing onigiri as a mainstream option.“That has been my primary motivation,” he said. “We’re not pursuing growth or profitability at the expense of quality. Onigiri remains a niche category in the U.S., and as a category leader, we recognize that we are often the first point of exposure for many guests. Their initial experience must be exceptional, because that experience helps define the category as a whole.”Kanematsu views Onigilly not only as a growth business but as a steward of the onigiri category. “We may be a single company, but we see ourselves as leaders of the category,” he said. “Our goal is to bring onigiri into the mainstream as a better, healthier and more convenient fast-food option. At its core, Onigilly is about rethinking what fast food can be.”That mindset is reflected in how the brand approaches franchise recruitment. Kanematsu says Onigilly is not looking for anyone who simply wants to buy territory; it is looking for partners who believe in the concept and will champion it in their local markets.“We’re confident in our strength, but we’re selective about who we partner with,” he said. “We’re not looking for someone who simply has capital or wants to claim territory. We want partners who share our culture, values, and mission because those are the people who will represent the brand and lead the category in their communities.”With record sales, double-digit traffic growth, its first franchise locations coming online and a carefully built pipeline for 2026, Onigilly is stepping into the new year as an emerging player in healthy global fast casual, backed by both strong performance and a clear, values-driven growth plan.To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/onigilly">https://1851franchise.com/onigilly</a>.About Onigilly Japanese KitchenOnigilly Japanese Kitchen is a fast-casual franchise bringing Japan’s favorite grab-and-go food, onigiri rice balls, to the U.S. Founded by Koji Kanematsu in 2008, Onigilly has grown from a food cart in San Francisco to a scalable franchise concept designed for efficient operations, healthy menus, and compact footprints. With a focus on fresh, nutrient-rich ingredients and streamlined systems that keep costs low, Onigilly offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to join a brand that blends innovation, culture, and consumer demand for healthier dining. To learn more about franchise opportunities, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://onigillyfranchise.com/">onigilly.com</a>.

Image of Onigilly restaurant franchise Reports Record 2025 Growth in Fast Casual

onigilly-franchise-2025-growth-fast-casual

Take-Away With Sam Oches: How Onigilly Found Its Footing in America

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS