O-Ku, the 15-year-old concept from Indigo Road Hospitality Group, has developed a program of gifting customers with surprises.
When regular customers travel to Charleston, Nashville, Alys Beach, and other cities with O-Ku restaurants, they can depend on the brand for quality sushi, sashimi, and service.
O-Ku has special practices in place to go above and beyond for their guests, which a spokesperson calls “O-Kuisms.”
With help from OpenTable, O-Ku gains insight on celebratory dinners and equips its team to pick out a gift for a customer.
Charleston, S.C.-based Indigo deploys an O-Ku team on gift-giving duty, monitoring OpenTable, thinking creatively, leaving the restaurant to purchase the perfect gift, and wrapping it before service.
Some gifts have included socks with the guest’s favorite sport, stuffed animals, and other small gifts.
Chef Masatomo “Masa” Hamaya, who now leads all Japanese concepts across Indigo Road, coined the famous “Masa-racha” Japanese hot sauce over many food festivals and pop-ups during his tenure as O-Ku’s executive chef.
What started as a scavenger hunt for the remaining bottles of Masa-racha in Alys Beach (following this year’s wine festival) turned into requests from patrons in Georgia and Tennessee this spring for the condiment.
By request only, O-Ku also offers a custom sushi board for private events and gatherings.
“While this is not publicized on the website, each O-Ku is equipped to collaborate with guests looking to bring the O-Ku experience beyond the doors of the restaurant,” a spokesperson said.
The offering has led to partnerships and friendships in each respective community that is home to an O-Ku, a spokesperson said.
O-Ku has locations in: Alys Beach, Fla.; Atlanta; Charleston, S.C.; Charlotte, N.C.; Greenville, S.C.; Jacksonville Beach, Fla.; Nashville, Tenn.; Raleigh, N.C.; and Washington, D.C.
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