Sushi Go Round: All about conveyor belt sushi
Kaiten sushi means “sushi go round” and yes, it’s just as fun as it sounds with sushi on a conveyor belt that brings different varieties all around the restaurant for you to grab and enjoy instantly.
It’s a very popular way to eat sushi in Japan, but it’s brand new for many Denver residents. It’s quite the sight to see all those food items moving around the restaurant. Get your cameras and Instagram posts ready.
Sushi chefs place their finished items on the conveyor belt at the sushi counter and from there, the sushi goes on a journey past all the customers in the restaurant. That is, until someone sees it and thinks “wow that looks good”. Then, all they have to do is pick up the plate and they’re ready to enjoy. This is great for people who show up hungry and don’t want to wait. It’s also great if you need to eat in a hurry, like during a lunch break. And don’t worry if someone snatches the item you were eyeing. Another will be on the way shortly, that’s the beauty of conveyor belt sushi.
Grab your meal. Try kaiten sushi.
The story behind it all
Innovative technology allows us at Sushi-Rama to ensure that our sushi is always fresh. A microchip on the bottom of each plate tells us when the sushi has been in rotation for 90 minutes, at which point it is removed. We also color-code the plates to keep track of prices, which range from just $1.50 to $4.
Kaiten sushi was invented by Japanese restaurant owner Yoshiaki Shiraishi in order to make his restaurant more efficient. It was a way of serving more customers quickly and efficiently, and was inspired by a trip to a brewery where he saw beer getting bottled.
He opened his first sushi conveyor belt restaurant, Mawaru Genroku Sushi, in Osaka in 1958. As you might imagine, it was a runaway hit right away. Not only was it more efficient, but it was a fun way to eat that blew people’s minds. He could quickly deliver many varieties of sushi without adding additional staff.
However, there were some kinks to work out in the beginning. Getting the speed of the conveyor belt right was key. If it was too fast, customers wouldn’t have time to select what they wanted. If it was too slow, it would take too long to bring new items and customers would get impatient. Eventually Shiraishi settled on eight centimeters per second as the perfect speed.
The 1970s saw a huge boom in popularity for conveyor belt sushi dining after Shiraishi’s concept debuted at the Osaka World Expo. After that, the whole world knew about conveyor belt sushi dining.
New to the area
While it’s popular in some areas of the US, conveyor belt sushi has not been brought to the Denver area until now. With Sushi-Rama, an Americanized version of this Japanese classic is sure to delight diners of all ages with a fast, fun and inventive way to eat. It brings new meaning to the concept of “on demand” with you being able to just grab whatever looks good to you. And because the plates are bite-sized, you can try nearly everything you want. And the plates are priced so you won’t break the bank while you’re dining with us.
An Instagram-worthy restaurant experience that’s also delicious!