Why People Still Choose to Open Restaurants in America

The Business Case Is Never the Whole Story

I've had hundreds of conversations with Japanese restaurant operators considering the U.S. market. Almost none of them started with spreadsheets. They started with a feeling — a conviction that their food, their concept, their obsession deserved a bigger stage.

The business case matters. Unit economics matter. Market timing matters. But in my experience, the people who actually make it through the first two years in America weren't the ones with the most polished financial models. They were the ones who had a reason that didn't quit.

What "Passion" Actually Means in Practice

I'm careful with the word passion. It gets used as a reason to ignore red flags. "I'm passionate about this" is not a business plan, and it won't pay your rent.

But there is something real underneath that word — a willingness to stay in the room when the problem gets harder. To figure out how to do something instead of listing reasons why it can't be done. That quality, whatever you call it, is what separates operators who adapt from those who don't.

The question isn't whether you're passionate. The question is whether that passion can survive the parts of America that no one told you about.

What the First Six Months Actually Look Like

The first six months in a U.S. restaurant are not glamorous. They are a relentless series of small problems you didn't anticipate. Staff turnover you weren't budgeted for. A supplier who goes dark. A health inspection you weren't prepared for. A menu item that works in Japan but confuses American customers.

The operators who get through this phase share one characteristic: they treat each problem as information. Not as evidence that they made a mistake, but as data about the market they're learning to read.

The Market Doesn't Owe You Anything

One of the hardest adjustments for Japanese operators in America is the absence of implicit social feedback. In Japan, customers will often not complain — they just won't come back. In America, the feedback is more direct, but also more confusing. A bad Yelp review doesn't always mean what it appears to mean.

America rewards operators who keep asking questions. Why isn't this working? What would need to be true for it to work? What am I not seeing? The operators I've watched succeed are the ones who stayed curious longer than was comfortable.

One Thing Worth Knowing Before You Decide

If you're considering the U.S. market, the most useful thing I can offer is this: the reasons people try are almost always valid. The question is whether the timing, the concept, and the preparation are aligned. Those are the things worth examining carefully — not your motivation, which is almost certainly real.

The U.S. market will test you. It tests everyone. The ones who stay are not the ones who found it easy. They're the ones who decided the test was worth taking.