I decided to open a store at Ikebukuro East Exit,
but I’d just taken out a large loan only six months prior…
Back then, I struggled tremendously with cash flow.
Every interaction with the bank left me in a cold sweat.
Still, I kept telling myself, “If I don’t do this now, there won’t be a next time,”
and pushed forward, focused solely on what lay ahead.
Once the decision was made, Black 5-Style moved immediately.
Fundraising, design, menu development, interior design—all proceeded simultaneously.
Above all, we focused most intently on “people.”
With more locations, we absolutely refused to hear complaints like
“The taste has declined” or “The service has changed.”
That’s precisely why we spent over six months training new staff,
thoroughly honing every aspect: cooking techniques, customer service, and greetings.
September 14, 2010.
Our Ikebukuro East Exit store finally opened!
Thanks to six months of preparation,
operations ran surprisingly smoothly from day one.
But what moved us most was the sheer number of congratulatory flowers
filling the storefront.
The florist even said, “This is the most flowers we’ve had all year!”
Opening this new store was truly the right decision.
Seeing all these flowers made me vow to work even harder from now on, so we won’t be ashamed of this honor.
The kitchen was equipped with appliances uncommon for yakiniku restaurants at the time,
such as ovens, fryers, and ice cream makers.
“We wanted to create dishes that transcended the boundaries of a yakiniku restaurant.”
The ultimate environment to realize that vision was now in place.
I still had a mountain of dishes I wanted to create.
Kuro 5’s challenge would accelerate even further from here.
Continue reading Kuro5 Birth Story: Episode 12
Wagyu Yakiniku Kuro5
IKEBUKURO Main Restrant
1F Shima 100 building ,2-46-3, Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku , Tokyo 171-0014
https://en.kuro5.net/restaurant/honten
Wagyu Yakiniku Kuro5
IKEBUKURO East Exit Restrant
2F Need Building, 1-42-16 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170-0013
https://en.kuro5.net/restaurant/higashiguchi
Wagyu Yakiniku KURO5
Kabukicho
1F Sankei Building, 2-21-4 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
https://en.kuro5.net/restaurant/kabukicho
Official Instagram: @kuro5yakiniku
