[Faculty of Business Administration] On Friday, January 31st, students gave a presentation to President Okura of Eternal Hospitality Group, which operates Torikizoku and other restaurants, in a service management class.

In the "Service Management" lecture by Assistant Professor Tonosaki Mizuyo of Faculty of Business Administration, guest speakers from companies are invited to give lectures in order to deepen students' understanding of the class and to hear real stories from people in the business world involved in the restaurant and hotel management. This time, one group of five students was given the extremely valuable opportunity to give a presentation to Lecturer and CEO Okura Tadashi at the company's headquarters in response to an assignment from Michishita Satoshi, Director of Eternal Hospitality Group Co., Ltd., which operates the Izakaya chain Torikizoku and other izakaya restaurants, and was invited as a lecturer in October.
The presentation was titled "A Torikizoku that you'll want to visit." Based on the environment surrounding the restaurant industry, Torikizoku's strengths and weaknesses, and an STP analysis, the team made specific proposals for the menu, flavors, counter seating layout, etc., based on the concept of "A Torikizoku that you can enjoy even if you're alone or don't drink alcohol."
President Okura commented, "We understand that the number of single customers is increasing, but since our founding we have believed that there is meaning in 'providing a place for communication,' and have focused on creating a space where everyone can have fun together. We will continue to follow this direction in the future. On the other hand, as you have pointed out, the decline in the proportion of alcohol sales and the trend towards family restaurants have increased, but we believe that this is a natural progression, and if it is supported by customers, then so be it."
After this, there was a free exchange of opinions. Director Michishita commented that "This presentation is an interesting proposal, especially as a measure to deal with counter seats in local areas," while the students exchanged opinions on topics such as differences in taste preferences between generations and the trend of young people moving away from alcohol. President Okura explained that "It is not possible to think of a uniform approach to what we should compete on, as customer preferences vary from store to store. We think that the current trend of operating stores according to the environment and customer requests is fine."
Next, there was a Q&A session between the students and President Okura, in which in response to the question "How will you respond to the decline in sales in the food and beverage industry due to changes in the Japanese environment?" he replied "Accelerate expansion overseas," and in response to the question "What kind of people do you want?" he gave important advice for the students' future: "People who are right, who can judge right from wrong, who don't wait for instructions, and who have an entrepreneurial spirit." In response to the question "What is important for starting a business?" he replied, "Think optimistically. Only imagine success. It is necessary to 'consider risks,' but I think it is important to balance this with 'think optimistically.'" The exchange took place in a free-flowing atmosphere.
Finally, President Okura spoke passionately about his desire to make "YAKITORI" a globally recognized food word that represents Japan, following on from SUSI and TEMPURA, based on our newly formulated vision, "Global YAKITORI Family."
After the program, the students shared their thoughts, saying, "I was able to become aware of my own immaturity and my room for improvement in the future," "I was really impressed by the message that 'To be successful, you need to think optimistically and only think about success. However, a pessimistic side is also necessary,'" "I realized that even if we think an idea is good, it cannot be easily changed due to various environments and problems. I realized that getting even one idea through is tough and difficult," "I am not the type to hesitate to speak in front of people, but I feel like I have more confidence in speaking now," and "It was a tense day. What I felt was lacking through this visit was my choice of words and the ability to grab the attention of my presentation."
It must have been a very stimulating and moving experience for the students. I hope that this experience will lead to further growth for them.

(Source: Corporate Public Relations)