Nobu

by Nobu Matsuhisa

  TRUE COMPETITION LETS RIVALS COEXIST AND PROSPER

  When I open a restaurant in a new location, my goal isn’t to become the sole winner. Imagine if a new Japanese restaurant were to open down the street from Nobu. Most people would see this as the start of a fierce competition for clientele. But I don’t. I see it as a favorable development that will raise the prestige of Japanese cuisine in the whole area by generating a competition to produce the best quality. Instead of trying to beat or make more profit than someone else, the real contest is to do our best for the sake of our guests. True competition increases the quality of both parties. With this kind of competition, rivals can coexist and prosper together.

  I don’t remember feeling this way in Los Angeles, which is a sprawling city with lots of room between the buildings. I think I first became aware of it when we opened Nobu New York, where the crowded quarters generate a high level of competition among restaurants. If we don’t consciously seek true competition, which develops the level of all involved, it’s impossible for a restaurant to grow.

  WAITING UNTIL THE THREE KEY PLAYERS ARE READY

  The three key players in the management of a Nobu restaurant are the manager, the chef, and the sushi chef. I cannot open a new Nobu until we have developed these core members. People can start up as many restaurants as they like as long as they have a place, but no one can start up a Nobu without personnel who understand the Nobu philosophy. This is not something that can be learned simply by reading a manual. I can only entrust a new Nobu to people who have worked at one and have experienced my philosophy firsthand.

  From 2005 to 2009, the number of Nobu restaurants increased at a rapid pace. We opened new restaurants in Dallas, on Fifty-Seventh Street in New York, on Berkeley Street in London, in Hong Kong, Waikiki, Melbourne, San Diego, Los Angeles, Dubai, Cape Town, Moscow, and Mexico City. People were impressed, but personally, I was uneasy. It felt too fast. No matter how well things seemed to be going, I knew we couldn’t do everything at once. Team building is particularly important. Even though business was going well, I felt that we would risk compromising quality if we kept expanding the number of restaurants before building up a solid team. We would run out of people qualified to serve as core members and would be unable to train new ones. As a result, the quality of our food and service would inevitably decline.

  I bear almost no financial risk when we open a new restaurant because the Nobu business model is a license model. If I had wanted to get rich, I could have just accepted every offer I received and continued expanding the number of Nobu restaurants indefinitely. But in doing so, I felt that I would lose something very important—the trust of my guests that I had nurtured since the first Matsuhisa. Without that, Nobu would quickly disintegrate. Nobu is my name. I was very conscious of what that meant. If I became cocky and pushed ahead carelessly with a new restaurant before I was ready, my name would be tarnished. That would be like cutting my own throat. At a meeting in New York, I told my business partners that it was time to pause and focus on raising the quality of our existing restaurants.

  At the opening party for Nobu Dallas. (Photo by Steven Freeman)

  I frequently receive multiple offers to start up new restaurants, and if I only cared about making restaurants in form alone, I could make as many as I wanted, as long as I had the money and a location. But I don’t see any point in making a new restaurant if I can’t put my heart and soul into it. I decided not to give the go sign for any more restaurants until I felt we were ready. By that, I meant having enough time to be properly involved on-site and being able to train the staff, particularly the key players.

  THE IMPORTANCE OF REPETITION

  As of November 2017, a total of forty-seven Nobu and Matsuhisa restaurants have been established worldwide. My job now is to further enhance their quality. Interviewers often ask me what my favorite restaurant is, but wherever I go, I almost always eat at a Nobu. If I notice something that needs attention, I’ll immediately pop into the kitchen to offer advice. If the presentation isn’t quite right, I’ll call the chef over and suggest how it could be done better before I even pick up my chopsticks.

  I can’t check the quality of every Nobu restaurant all the time, but I can generate a constructive tension among the staff by eating at each Nobu whenever I can and repeatedly giving feedback. Through this process, the chefs begin to notice things for themselves as they work. This is how I raise up chefs with a good understanding of my cooking.

  At every Nobu restaurant, I always repeat the same things: Good food, good service, teamwork. Put your heart into your work and cook with passion. Do whatever your guests want as much as possible and make them happy. Your guests don’t come just to eat. Put your heart into giving your guests the best experience from the moment they walk through the door until the moment they leave. I repeat myself constantly, so that very soon the chefs and the manager are saying the same things to the rest of the staff and this way of thinking permeates the whole restaurant.

  WHY I’M ALWAYS WILLING TO TAKE PHOTOS WITH MY GUESTS

  Wherever I go, Nobu staff will almost always use my visit as an opportunity for promotion. They’ll come up with a theme, such as “Sake Dinner.” Many people will specifically make a reservation for that day because they want to see me. As much as possible, I visit each table to greet every guest. Often servers will come to me and say, “Nobu, would you stop at that table next, please?”

  Smartphones have made taking photos easy. When I visit a table, the guests are likely to ask, “Can we take a photo?” Of course, I say yes. They’ll take one, and then say, “Oh, I forgot the flash.” They’ll take another, then decide to try a different angle. Quite often, I end up posing for three or four photos just at one table. Although, to be honest, it can be quite tiring, I still do it with a smile because it makes our guests happy. And not just our guests. It makes the servers even happier, because they want to see their guests go home smiling. I think my willingness to respond with a smile to the wishes of my guests inspires the same attitude in my staff.

  WE DON’T NEED A MANUAL FOR HOSPITALITY

  The word omotenashi refers to the Japanese spirit of hospitality or service. This is the consideration that everyone working at the restaurant shows the guests and each other. If the servers merely perform each task mechanically—welcoming the guests, guiding them to a table, giving them a menu, taking their order, serving the food, and bringing them the bill—it’s not a real restaurant. We should tailor our interactions to each individual guest at that particular time on that particular day, including what we say when we greet them and take their order, the timing and delivery of the food to their table, and the type of conversation we have with them. Rather than just doing these things as a routine, we should constantly be attuned to their needs and provide the very best hospitality at each particular moment. Manuals can’t make a restaurant. Rather than relying on a manual, we should constantly be asking ourselves, “What if I were the customer?”

  Excessive service is not good hospitality, either. The idea that you can have too much of a good thing applies to serving, too. For example, if a guest has only taken a single sip from their glass of water, it’s not good service to immediately fill it up again. Although some restaurants might say in their manuals that servers should fill a glass before the customer has finished their water, the best timing is to wait and fill the glass the moment it’s empty. Or actually, to wait until the glass is empty and then to sense whether or not the person wants more, and decide what to do on that basis. Just the simple act of filling someone’s glass as soon as they want more can make our guests feel comfortable.

  The same applies to pouring tea. In Japan, it is proper etiquette to fill the yunomi, or teacup, about 80 percent full. As Japanese teacups don’t have handles, this makes it easier to pick it up without spilling the tea and also keeps the brim from getting too hot. Because many Nobu employees are not Japanese, it’s only natural that they wouldn’t know the right amount of tea to po
ur for their guests. I teach them by example, pouring them some tea and letting them drink it. This way they can learn through experience.

  I can’t possibly give all my guests this much attention on my own. But many people work at Nobu restaurants, and if they all approach their work with this attitude, everyone will be taking care of the guests, and the guests will love being there. Sometimes, after careful thought, we may decide to do things differently from what our customers want. But as long as we do so with complete sincerity, they will understand. No matter how many times we say “I love you” those words will mean nothing if we are insincere; when said with feeling, they will always reach the other’s heart. With this kind of service, our guests will go home happy, word will soon spread, and more people will come.

  Restaurant turnover and profits are important in business. But for me, it is of even greater value to bring smiles to our guests’ faces through consistently offering good food and service and a space to enjoy a pleasant conversation over their meal so that they always leave satisfied. Like the wheels on either side of a car, good food and good service are inseparable. Even if the food is superb, no one will want to come back if the service is lousy. That’s how important service is, even though it has nothing to do with cooking. Instead of making a manual or developing a training program to spread my philosophy, I explain these points carefully to our staff at every opportunity. This may seem like a lot of work, but in the end, it’s actually the easiest way.

  WHEN YOU HAVE TO REPRIMAND STAFF, PUT YOURSELF IN THEIR SHOES AND CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY

  Visiting Nobu restaurants all around the world is a lot of fun, but it can also be frustrating. Sometimes I see ways of cooking that go against my philosophy or service that is lacking in consideration. Even at Matsuhisa, my starting point, I occasionally find that something important has changed when I return from an extended absence. When that happens, I begin by asking why they changed it. If they can give me a good explanation, they might convince me that the change is for the better. But if they can’t, then it’s a problem. In that case, I will tell them very sternly that it doesn’t make sense to change the way we have always done something if they can’t explain why. Matsuhisa is the origin of every Nobu restaurant. We need to have a very good reason if we’re going to change the approach we’ve followed so carefully all these years. There is nothing wrong with change. But when we make a change, it must be for the better.

  At the same time, there’s no point in getting so angry with staff that they feel terrible. If they seem slow to respond to my questions, it often means that they’re reluctant to point out someone else’s mistake. That’s why I never single out one individual. Instead, my approach is to improve overall teamwork. I address everyone, speaking from my heart so that they can feel how serious I am. This prevents anyone from feeling hurt or ashamed. Besides, if I tell five people and even one of them takes my words to heart, he or she may then encourage everyone else to try what I have suggested. When a problem occurs, it’s important to address it openly and discuss it together. Then no one feels personally attacked or criticized, and the team can share their opinions constructively instead of searching for where to lay the blame.

  BEING AN EXAMPLE IS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN REPRIMANDING

  There are some people who continue to speak harshly to others even after working with us for some time. In such cases, I give them this advice: “When you say it like that, you could hurt the other person’s feelings. Instead of telling them in words, think about how you can be a good leader and show them what they should be doing by your own example.” Again, it all depends on how I say this. Telling someone off without giving them a chance to explain won’t make the problem go away. I need to put myself in their shoes and think about what I can say or do to make them want to change. If, as a result, they actually do change, then that makes both of us happy.

  Telling someone what to do very rarely results in the other person being able to do it right away. It’s fine to make mistakes. We can learn from them, and that will help us to advance, step by step. Fortunately, at Nobu, there are now many people who can provide support if anyone slips up. Of course, carelessness is not acceptable, but if someone makes a mistake while trying to do their best or because they took on a new challenge, others will always help them out. At Nobu, I believe we’ve managed to establish a culture where anyone who tries their best and isn’t afraid to make mistakes can win distinction.

  As long as we learn from them, mistakes are never a waste. Sometimes, however, people will repeat the same error over and over again. I might want to say, “Give me a break!” but I rarely need to. The fact that our staff all have the Nobu spirit and work together as a team has a sort of self-cleansing effect. When someone makes an error, he or she will pick up on the vibes and notice quite quickly without having to be told. People who repeat mistakes because they simply aren’t trying hard enough usually leave the team of their own accord.

  YOU CAN’T TEACH SOMEONE TO HAVE A “HUNGRY SPIRIT”

  Guests from all over the world send me comments about up-and-coming Nobu staff. A regular at Nobu Malibu, for example, might write to praise one of the younger chefs. I make sure to pass this kind of comment along because I know it will make that chef happy and inspire him or her to try even harder.

  Not so long ago, a chef with quite a bit of experience joined Nobu. I knew that for this very reason it might be challenging for him to get used to working with us. The menu is extensive, there are many Nobu Style ways of doing things, and the level expected is very high. But I received messages, one right after the other, from guests who had sat at his counter on different days. Both of them commended him very highly. I told him immediately. “Always remember how you feel right now,” I said, “and keep doing your best. If you do, your efforts are bound to lead to success.” It makes me very happy, too, when guests compliment my staff. Just like kids, we all need praise to grow and develop.

  At the same time, if we are to grow of our own volition, we must experience that frustration which makes us determined to master something no matter what. This feeling, however, has to come from within. Otherwise, it’s meaningless. A hungry spirit is the one thing that no one can teach us. And it only dwells within those who are determined to succeed no matter what. I am what I am today because I was determined to grasp every opportunity that came my way, no matter how small.

  ALWAYS THANK THE DISHWASHERS

  In my case, everyone knows that I can cook, so they will listen to my advice. Leadership is easy when the leader has the knowledge required. But when a business expands, it becomes impossible for that person to stay on top of everything. Managers with no cooking experience may have to give instructions about the food. If they aren’t careful, they could end up offending the chefs. This is why people who become leaders must study. They don’t have to learn how to cook, but they must make the effort to understand how those who are cooking feel. If they do, everyone will follow them. On the other hand, if they boss people around just because they’re the leader, no one will. That’s why I always tell people in the position of leader to work twice or even three times as hard as those who work under them.

  Gratitude is also important. If the plates are dirty, chefs can’t present the food. Dishwashing is a very hard job. The people who do it risk cutting their hands, and the soapy water can chap their skin. When I travel to different Nobu locations around the world, I make a point of thanking the dishwashers. People at the top of any business should spend time with their staff in the workplace, working alongside them so that they can understand how they feel. If they do, the people who work for them will be more likely to understand their feelings and be willing to try even harder.

  Don’t waste time thinking about whether you know or don’t know, about whether you can or can’t do, something. Start by doing, by putting thought into action. It is this attitude that gives an organization energy. The most important role of a leader within any organization is to create this kind o
f business culture and raise up the next generation of leaders.

  7

  Heading into a New Stage

  * * *

  Launching Nobu Hotel

  FROM RESTAURANTS TO HOTELS

  Las Vegas, Miami, Dallas, Hawaii, Melbourne, Cape Town, Hong Kong, Beijing—all the Nobu restaurants in these cities are located inside luxury hotels. In addition, De Niro, who owns the Greenwich Hotel in New York, has close connections with the hotel business. According to him, when a Nobu restaurant opens in a hotel, the hotel’s reputation rises. As a result, Nobu also becomes more popular. Nobu restaurants and luxury hotels seem to be very compatible. Based on that, De Niro proposed the Nobu Hotel project. Instead of opening a restaurant in someone else’s hotel, he suggested that we make our own.

  I am the type of person who always works directly in the field. From this perspective, even opening a single restaurant seems like a huge job. Although the project team would include experts in hotel management, I would be lying if I said that I had no qualms at all. At the same time, however, I was deeply moved to think that, in just fifteen years, Nobu had developed the capacity to realize such a project. For this reason, I decided that it was worth the challenge.