Today, we can have a range of sushi, from incredibly expensive sushi counter experiences to affordable and fast sushi shops. Read all about conveyor belt sushi history and how bottles of beer sparked an idea for sushi for the people:
Conveyor belt sushi, known as kaiten zushi in Japanese meaning “turnover sushi”, was invented by Yoshiaki Shiraishi who got the idea after seeing beer bottles at an Asashi Brewery’s assembly line.
Shiraishi opened this one-of-a-king sushi restaurant in 1958 in Osaka.
For restauranteur Yoshiaki Shiraishi life changed in the mid-1950s after a tour of an Asahi Brewery factory where he saw beer bottles going down an assembly line on conveyor belts.
Using that image of beer bottles, he solved his problem of restaurant staffing with efficiency and production technology – two things highly prized in Japan.
In 1958, Shiraishi introduced kaiten zushi, or turnover sushi, in which plates of sushi went around to each customer on a conveyor belt.
Yes, this took away from tradition. Yes, it did not have refinement. Yes, it was not about the art of sushi.
But, wow, what a fun attraction to watch and to experience. And, it saved money on waiters and fancy sushi chefs.
There were so many new-found benefits, including faster customer turnover and affordable prices. In a sense, this was healthy fast food.
And while it was not considered at all gourmet, this became a fun, casual meal for families and friends. Kaiten zushi provided sushi for the everyday person.
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