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 Targets Los Angeles for Expansion as Part of Larger Southern California Growth Strategy

Unlocking the Potential: How Much Can You Earn as an Onigilly Franchisee?

Koji Kanematsu Turned a 2,000-Year-Old Japanese Staple Into One of the Most Scalable Restaurant Franchise Models

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

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

onigilly-franchise-fast-casual-franchise-opportunity

onigilly-targets-los-angeles-for-expansion-as-part-of-larger-southern-california-growth-strategy

unlocking-the-potential-how-much-can-you-earn-as-an-onigilly-franchisee

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

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS