Takafumi Sato: From Kitakyushu to the World, Filling Hearts with Happiness.

2024/09/24

"A great restaurant that is delicious and lively"—that was my first impression of Sukesan Udon. In March 2018, I became the President and Representative Director of Sukesan Co., Ltd., which operates Kitakyushu's 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 the customers I saw then are still burned into my memory.

After graduating from university, I worked in various industries at Sony, BCG, and Uniqlo, but this was my first time in the food and beverage industry. I also had no experience as a manager and felt anxious, but I have been able to make it this far with the support of my experienced colleagues.

Looking back, I changed schools many times until elementary school. Even after entering Keio Futsubu School, I was a boy who would take on new things whenever I became interested. I joined the American football team at Juku High School in search of new experiences, and went on to SFC at university shortly after it was established. I have always challenged myself in new environments alongside my peers. "Taking on new challenges" may be my very starting point.

After taking office, I faced new obstacles every day. All Sukesan employees are partners building the future together, and their presence is the driving force for overcoming these 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 revenge of success and lost the courage to take a step forward. Therefore, we first gathered everyone from executives to store managers to discuss thoroughly for six months where we were headed, and created the management philosophy "Filling Hearts with Happiness." At the same time, we focused on accumulating success stories one by one, such as opening stores in new regions, trying new products, and launching online sales and social media. As a result, confidence gradually grew, and I believe we have become a great team that is always taking on challenges. I believe that truly delicious food and good service are universal. I want to deliver Sukesan to all of Japan and the world, filling them with happy smiles. Currently, we have expanded beyond Kyushu to the Kansai region, growing to 71 stores—nearly double the number when I first took office. We have also decided to open a store in Tokyo this winter, and while busy with preparations, I can keenly feel the expectations from everyone. While savoring the happiness of being able to continue challenging ourselves on the front lines across 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.