The YO! Sushi Harvey Nichols in London

Keeping YO! Sushi 'consistently inconsistent'

7th December 2009, 3:51pm

Launching 14 new restaurants in the last 18 months is no easy task but YO! Sushi achieved this well not only by sheer hard graft but by engaging with Philip Watts Design, DGA Architects and Intro Design agency to keep each establishment 'consistently inconsistent'.

YO! Sushi is based on the concept of a Japanese 'kaiten' (conveyor belt) sushi bar which customers can help themselves to colour-coded dishes (priced between £1.70 and £5.00) and order their drinks via airline-style call buttons. 

Each eatery offers over 90 Japanese inspired dishes, of which 35% are hot or cooked dishes and 25% vegetarian. Treats include sushi classics like sashimi, rolls, maki and nigiri, chicken katsu curry, salads, hand rolls, tempura and desserts.

The YO! Sushi Harvey Nichols in London, which has recently undergone a £341k refit, offers all of these treats if not more. But it's not only the food that catches the diners' eye.

As part of the makeover, DGA's aim was to "create a light, sophisticated, sleek and simple YO! with a natural palette of materials". The team achieved this by extending the iconic belt to seat 64 diners at any one time and adding a large mirrored glass wall with an embossed design motif to reflect a simple premium style restaurant.

A spokesperson for DGA explained: "With the use of the mirror we created a restaurant that was ever changing with the movement from the kitchen and reflection of passing shoppers. We used white corian counter tops with the introduction of the brushed and polished stainless steel YO! logo that enhances the sophisticated theme, whilst keeping the restaurant on brand.

"The simple white colour palette creates a light, open and comfortable space to eat. The warmth of the limed oak brings an element of the natural/traditional Japan."

DGA believes the ceiling is the key feature of the concept. "The sleek ceiling raft made from the powder coated aluminium with stainless steel lighting troughs is sleek, streamlined and sexy."

YO! Sushi has always stood out from the rest of the crowd, which is one of the reasons why the chain was presented with a design award at the Restaurant magazine's recent R150 awards ceremony.

Robin Rowland, chief executive officer at YO! Sushi, commented: "Out of all of the awards up for grabs, this one was the one we really wanted. As a chain restaurant we always want to be moving forward in our thinking, offering customers a unique experience and still staying true to our innovative cultural homeland of Japan."

He added: "To win an award for our design concepts is a fantastic achievement, especially as we purposefully choose to never build the same restaurant twice. We will continue to keep our restaurant's individuality as we continue to open more restaurants across the UK in the next few years."

The Japanese concept now serves 3.5 million customers per year with fresh and healthy dishes.

Other recent YO! Sushi openings and refurbishments include:

YO! Sushi House of Fraser Glasgow (PWD): This is a restaurant of two halves. The front is a funky and vibrant area with bright colours and a curved wooden feature wall that would be at home in the biggest of Japanese skate parks. The rear of the restaurant features more of a cool Tokyo club with booth seating and a mirrored strip wall on each side.

YO! Sushi Whiteleys: The design team are looking to give Whiteley's an injection of everything that is cool, hip, far out and far east. This includes an infinite curved fire loop that frames the chefs in action.

To find your nearest YO! Sushi or join the YO! Sushi Love Club visit www.yosushi.com

Related Articles:

• 30 Aug 2011 - YO! Sushi opens 58th venture in Norwich
• 27 May 2011 - YO! Sushi opens in Touchwood Shopping Centre
• 03 Nov 2010 - YO! Sushi to open its latest restaurant in Cambridge next week
• 05 Oct 2010 - YO! Sushi comes to Birmingham
• 22 Jul 2010 - YO! Sushi launches at Southbank Centre
• 10 Jun 2010 - YO! Sushi comes to Milton Keynes
• 12 Mar 2010 - YO! Sushi launches six hot dishes
• 28 Aug 2009 - YO! Sushi launches takeaway service
• 29 May 2009 - Japanese at its best
• 06 Apr 2009 - YO! Sushi serves up an integrated payment system
• 16 Jun 2008 - YO! Sushi Soho reopens with refurbishment