100 Yen Sushi House is exactly the showcase of Japanese productivity, which is a famous sushi restaurant in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo. 100 Yen Sushi House utilizes ‘just-in-time’ and total quality control systems to prepare food and serve customers to improve productivity in the workplace. It is totally a labor-intensive operation based mostly on simplicity and common sense rather than high technology.
[pic]100 Yen Sushi House Blueprint
Special production-line approach to food preparation and service is one of 100 Yen’s main differentiating features. The customers of 100 Yen can be regarded as an important part of production line. There are no waiters, customers serve themselves, enter the restaurant, remove dishes from the food train, and leave the restaurant. They do not have to wait for food because sushi chefs and their equipment are positioned so close that they can prepare the food within sight and pass it on hand to hand. The speed of customers determines the flow of the delivery process. So it may reduce idle time for busy customers. Total quality control is another feature of 100 Yen to differentiate itself from other competitors. Instead of increasing the refrigeration capacity by purchasing new refrigeration systems, 100 Yen has made a long-term agreement with the fish vendor to deliver fresh material several times a day to meet customers’ needs. They also charge all employees with the task of monitoring the prepared sushi and removing the dishes over 30 minutes from the food train. Compared to other sushi stores, therefore, 100 Yen can keep its products fresh to a larger extent. Furthermore, 100 Yen is offering each of its items at the same price, 100 Yen. This arrangement can largely simplify the customer-billing procedure. It is seen that this kind of food delivery system can also cut down the number of personnel needed to serve customers, thereby cutting the cost of personnel to the limit, which gives 100 Yen a