Although we were only open for lunch, our hamburgers earned rave reviews.
Customers who tried them once quickly became repeat patrons, and our lunch service would fill up in no time.
“This is delicious!” “Excuse me! Can we get another hamburger and doria, please?”
Such voices echoed throughout the lively restaurant.
Curries and doria dishes other than hamburgers are also hugely popular.
Amidst the bustle reminiscent of a Western-style restaurant, all the staff were running around clutching frying pans.
There was just one problem.
Our hamburgers only turn out delicious if we don’t mix the ground meat until after an order comes in.
That’s because the meat oxidizes when exposed to air, causing the flavor to deteriorate.
In other words, we had no choice but to give our all to each and every order.
The kitchen was a veritable battlefield.
Every day, we wrestled with dozens of hamburgers, and by lunchtime, everyone was drenched in sweat.
We were utterly exhausted, completely burned out.
But there’s no time to rest—preparations for the night shift await.
“Damn, we’ve got two hours to split up and finish prepping!”
We’d call out to each other like that, facing chunks of beef day after day.
Even as we sighed, “Haaah…,” no one ever complained.
I didn’t realize it at the time.
That my impulsive decision to start serving hamburger steak lunches
was placing an enormous burden on the staff who worked so hard without complaint.
And just six months after we began,
we finally made the decision to stop serving lunch.
But—
I still think about it.
I want to serve that hamburger steak to our customers again.
I believe the day will come when I can bring that taste and that time back to life.
Continue reading Kuro5 Birth Story: Episode 14
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
