TOKYO —

Yoshihiro Shinkawa has been in the restaurant business one way or another since he was 6 years old. The affable Shinkawa, who likes to be called Hiro, is currently CEO of Huge Co ltd, which operates five Rigoletto restaurants as well as the upscale Dazzle.

Born in Niigata, Shinkawa got his start in the food industry by working at his parents’ restaurant when he was 6. After finishing high school, he joined Suntory when he was 18 and then Global Dining where he spent 22 years, the last few as COO.

In 2005, he decided to branch out on his own and established Huge Co. Today the company operates Dazzle in Ginza, Cafe Rigoletto in Kichijoji, Rigoletto Kitchen in Ginza, Rigoletto Wine and Bar in Marunouchi, Rigoletto Tapas Lounge in Sendai, and the newly opened Rigoletto Bar and Grill in Roppongi Hills.

Japan Today editor Chris Betros visits Shinkawa to hear more about the restaurant business.

It must have been hard leaving Global Dining after 22 years? You hosted U.S. President George W Bush and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, didn’t you?

Yes, that was in February of 2002. We hosted them at Gonpachi. It was a few months after the Afghan war started. Security was tight. I remember the security came into the kitchen, asked which food was for Bush and then asked us to change it.

Global Dining was very successful and I had a good time there. But after 22 years, it had become an easy ride. I had two choices: stick with the easy way, which is not exciting, or take on a new challenge and start my own company but I like a challenge.

How did you come up with the name Huge?

From the surfing movie “Big Wednesday.” I remember one character looking up at the big waves and calling them huge. It just stuck with me.

Small dishes, such as tapas, at reasonable prices. That’s what customers want nowadays. I was in LA recently and saw that small dishes were very popular in Japanese, Spanish and French bistros. The food industry is very different from when I first started. Consumers have different expectations.

It had a very successful opening and is still doing well. It is the biggest of our restaurants. The Mori Building Co approached us because they liked our concept at the Shin-Maru Building. Our location at Roppongi Hills is really good. When you consider that 70,000 people come to Roppongi Hills every day, and over 15% are foreigners, it’s like a small international city.

What is the key to success?

Making sure of both employee and customer satisfaction. Customers and employees are both like our family.

How many employees do you have?

Seven here at head office and more than 300 restaurant staff. We have some foreign staff, too.

What is a typical day for you?

I get to the office around 9 .am. I check emails and daily reports on restaurants and staff. In the afternoons, I might have meetings with real estate or financial people. From 4-5, I visit two or three restaurants. During that time, I discuss any issues with the restaurant manager and chefs. After 6, I like to chat with customers. Other days, I check out other restaurants for research. It’s important to see what the competition is doing.

Many restaurants have been caught up in quality scandals recently. What do you think of that?

Bad management is one reason but I think employee stress is a bigger cause. That’s why employee satisfaction is important, as I said earlier. I like to do “nommunication” (drinking and chatting) with staff.

How do you like to relax on weekends?

I spend weekends with my family. I like jogging, driving and movies.

What are your future goals for Huge?

I want to open restaurants in Singapore and Hong Kong, but I am in no hurry to expand. I don’t like to plan too far ahead.

For more information on restaurants operated by Huge, visit http://www.huge.co.jp

2 Comments

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  bushlover at 07:39 AM JST - 13th June

  A food company called Huge? Wow does that say cholesterol? Since returning to my native Britain I have lost weight due to abstaining from the Huge cholesterol content of food.

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  Brainiac at 08:51 AM JST - 13th June

  I just went to Rigoletto at Roppongi Hills recently. It's really good. Interesting, though, how tapas -- which I always thought of as being Spanish -- has become more mainstream.

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