The first Nobu restaurant opened in 1994 in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood. In the 31 years since, Nobu Matsuhisa’s empire has expanded to dozens of restaurants and hotels across multiple continents, with more in the pipeline. It’s one of the better success stories in all of hospitality, but the founder is adamant that the formula is a simple one: Hard work, good partnerships, and taking things one step at a time.
We sat down with Matsuhisa this week at Nobu Dallas’ 20th anniversary party to glean a few insights acquired over his many decades in the business.
Choose markets and partners wisely
Nobu Dallas opened in 2005 at Hotel Crescent Court in Uptown, 11 years after the debut of the original Nobu in New York City, and following other openings in cities including London, Las Vegas, and Malibu, Calif. At the time, Matsuhisa wasn’t too familiar with the market, but he visited the city after the hotel owners approached him about opening a restaurant.
“Partnerships are very important,” said Matsuhisa, noting that investment is key, but it begins with the people.
He said that Dallas had a good reputation for food and service, and he liked the people and the design of the space, so he decided to move forward. That approach has served him well as Nobu continues to expand around the world.
Embrace the local culture
Nobu is a culture in itself, but Matsuhisa said that his restaurants want to embrace local cultures and use local products as much as possible. It wasn’t easy in the beginning because they had no connections to distributors in new markets. But over time, they met the right people and made those connections.
Many diners already know the brand and seek out Nobu restaurants when they travel. The goal is for each location to meet the expectations of what Nobu is, but with some flexibility on the menu and in the design to represent the specific city it’s operating in.
Nobu Matsuhisa’s empire spans dozens of hotels and restaurants across multiple continents.
Maintain consistency by training the next generation
Every Nobu restaurant has an experienced chef and manager at the helm, so the leadership team understands the brand’s philosophies of good food and service.
“They know all the details,” said Matsuhisa. “Of course, I’m here during opening time for training, but all my teams are trained and we educate the next generation. So, many years later, we’re still here.”
The Nobu machine employs a massive staff. It’s common that some members will learn the trade and then eventually take their education elsewhere, or open restaurants of their own. Matsuhisa said that makes him proud, like a father seeing the family expand and spread its wings. It’s a sign that he’s done his job if a chef or manager is ready to set out on their own.
Grow step by step
Matsuhisa admitted that early in his career, he tried to rush growth, and he learned his lesson. Now with so many venues under his purview, he takes everything step by step.
He explained that each location, whether a restaurant, hotel, or the newly launched Nobu Residences, has to run efficiently before he thinks about moving on to the next project. That includes food, service, design, and even day-to-day protocols like cleaning. Every element must work well and be set up for continued success, so that it can operate once the training team departs.
He said restaurateurs who want to replicate a concept, or create new concepts, must invest in people and build replicable processes.
“Be ambitious, don’t be lazy, but don’t rush it and grow too quickly,” Matsuhisa said. “Take things step by step.”
