Abstract

The Incredible System Behind Japan’s Most Beloved Okonomiyaki Chain
Unprecedented in the restaurant industry:
7 consecutive days of paid long vacations
100 hours fewer working time per month
A fair evaluation and compensation system with 80% employee satisfaction
For eight consecutive years, Kinta’s existing stores have achieved over 100% year-on-year sales growth, continuing its journey toward becoming Japan’s No.1 okonomiyaki restaurant!
This book unveils the remarkable systems and management philosophy that made it possible.
“A once-unruly president transformed his company by focusing on employee satisfaction — and as a result, customer satisfaction soared.
A true model of what any company can aspire to become.”
Author Shoetsu Kanehara, founder of Kinta — the popular okonomiyaki and teppanyaki chain with 25 locations across Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and Aichi — reveals the practical systems and methods he created to make his restaurants a place where employees truly love to work.
He also shares the business strategies that have enabled Kinta’s stores to consistently outperform the previous year’s results — a rare feat in Japan’s competitive food industry.

Author’s Information

President & CEO, Tail Co., Ltd.
Born in Kyoto Prefecture in 1968. After graduating from Kyoto Nishi High School, Kanehara began his culinary career at the long-established Kyoto okonomiyaki restaurant Donguri, where he trained for two years.
In 1988, at the age of 20, he founded his own okonomiyaki and teppanyaki restaurant, Kinta.
With the goal of becoming “Japan’s No.1 okonomiyaki restaurant,” he established Tail Co., Ltd. in 1997.
Today, Kinta operates 25 popular locations across Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and Aichi. In an industry where 80% of restaurants reportedly close within five years, Kinta has achieved 10% year-on-year sales growth for eight consecutive years since 2013, attracting significant attention in Japan’s restaurant sector.