In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Koji Kanematsu, founder of Onigilly Japanese Kitchen, a San Francisco based franchise introducing Americans to the rice ball snack onigiri. He joined the podcast to talk about the brand’s humble beginnings as a food cart, how he had to completely rethink his product to adapt to American palates, and how COVID forced him to focus on a new growth strategy — much to the brand’s benefit.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Great brands can start in the smallest of footprints
• Manually operating your brand from the start is the best way to know its true potential
• It’s better to adapt your product to the market rather than wait for the other way around
• You should embrace the opportunity for a brand reset 
• If you believe in your brand, you can’t afford to quit

Register for CREATE, our event for emerging restaurateurs, by clicking here. 

Have feedback or ideas for Take-Away? Email Sam at [email protected].