Famous Restaurant Cafeteria Service 'Minna no Shokudo' Appoints Naoyuki Otani as COO to Strengthen Operations

Minna no Shokudo Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Takehito Saito), which operates a famous restaurant employee cafeteria service, is pleased to announce that Mr. Naoyuki Otani has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer (COO) as of May 1, 2026. 'Minna no Shokudo' is dedicated to the deliciousness of the food it provides, offering menus from famous and popular restaurants with Tabelog ratings of 3.7 or higher, including 'Hyakumeiten' (Top 100 Restaurants), to offices on a daily or weekly rotating basis. Through delicious lunches, the service contributes to solving corporate challenges such as improving team cohesion, revitalizing internal communication, and enhancing the office-going experience, while also working to build a new revenue base for restaurants. Mr. Otani is a management professional with a track record in three key areas: 'on-the-ground operations, food, and management,' having launched his own food business and gained experience in the food industry, as well as having been involved in management support for numerous startups as a senior capitalist at Gazelle Capital. With his participation, Minna no Shokudo will promote the improvement of service quality and the construction and strengthening of a sustainable service foundation and operational structure. ■Management Structure: CEO: Takehito Saito; Directors: Satoshi Ishikawa, Hideo Fujii, Junta Suzuki; Outside Director: Kaoru Hosoda; COO: Naoyuki Otani (newly appointed). ■Background of the Appointment: Out of 1.77 million companies nationwide, only 0.3%* (5,433 facilities) have employee cafeterias, meaning a high-quality lunch experience has been out of reach for the vast majority of working people. In recent years, in addition to the acceleration of the return to the office and the rise in real wages, the tax exemption limit for meal allowances was raised from ¥3,500 to ¥7,500 per month in the April 2026 tax reform, further increasing corporate interest in employee benefits. Minna no Shokudo has addressed this challenge by building a system to deliver lunches from famous restaurants without having its own kitchen. Since the service launched in June 2025, we have received so many inquiries that a waiting list for full implementation occurred within about six months. In this changing environment, we have newly established the 'COO' position to handle both operations and organization, in order to create a service foundation that both corporate clients and member restaurants can use with peace of mind. By appointing Mr. Otani, who has experience launching a food business and providing investment and management support to startups as a senior capitalist at a VC, as the new COO, we aim to build a scalable and error-free operational model. We will continue to make every effort to sincerely face our customers and deliver a moving customer experience. *1: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 'Overview of the 2019 Health Administration Report,' number of workplace food service facilities is 5,433. ■COO Profile: Naoyuki Otani. While in university, he joined Apple Japan and engaged in a variety of roles for about 6.5 years, from repairs and sales to training staff nationwide and coaching positions. Concurrently, in 2018, he established a limited liability company in Awaji Island, Hyogo Prefecture, gaining hands-on experience in the food business from mobile hamburger sales and cafe management to Kobe beef cattle farming. He worked in store management at Blue Bottle Coffee for one year from 2020. From 2021, he served as a business planning and sales manager at FacePeer Inc., a video call service provider. He joined Gazelle Capital in December 2023 and has been involved in investment and management support for numerous startups as a senior capitalist. ■Comment from Naoyuki Otani: My career has consistently been driven by a desire to 'do work that enriches people's daily lives a little.' The days of facing each customer at Apple Japan, the entrepreneurial experience of getting my hands dirty on Awaji Island with mobile hamburger sales, cafe operations, and even Kobe beef cattle farming, store operations at Blue Bottle Coffee, and startup support at a VC. It may seem like a disjointed career, but for me, it's all connected by a single thread. 'Minna no Shokudo' is a business that lies right on that extension. To deliver the smiles and conversations that a delicious meal brings to more offices, I will build a scalable operational structure while sincerely facing the field, customers, and member restaurants. ■Comment from CEO Takehito Saito: From our early days, we have intentionally separated 'management' and 'execution.' Our board of directors consists of executives who have led Japan's largest B2B and B2C food delivery services (Kurumeshi, Demae-can), making our strategy and policies robust. However, execution was a one-man show by the CEO, and we had challenges with our execution capabilities. The addition of Mr. Otani, who, like me, comes from a VC background but also has a broad and balanced experience from on-site and operational experience in restaurants to startup support, is incredibly encouraging. I am confident that our execution speed will accelerate many times over. We will strive to further refine and deepen the customer experience and grow into an infrastructure for working people's food. ■What is 'Minna no Shokudo'? 'Minna no Shokudo' is a service that allows companies to introduce meals from famous restaurants with long lines, such as those with Tabelog ratings of 3.7 or higher or 'Hyakumeiten' restaurants, as their own company cafeteria. It can be easily introduced from once a week, and since the restaurants and menus change with each use, employees can enjoy it without getting bored. Employees can use the hot buffet-style meals for just 500 yen, a single coin. We aim not only to solve the 'lunch refugee' problem in offices but also to provide a fun lunch experience through food, 'eating from the same pot,' contributing to organizational unity and an improved office-going experience. Contact: https://minshoku.jp/contact/ ■Minna no Shokudo Inc. Company Profile: Company Name: Minna no Shokudo Inc.; Representative: CEO Takehito Saito; Established: June 19, 2024; Capital: ¥100,000,000; Business: Planning and operation of the famous restaurant employee cafeteria service 'Minna no Shokudo'; Location: KDX Toranomon 1-chome Bldg. 11F, 1-10-5 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001; HP: https://minshoku.jp/lp02/