7 New Restaurant Owners Emerge from January to April Amidst a 'Winter Era' of Record Restaurant Bankruptcies! The Key to Selecting New Owners Lies in 'Human Capabilities'
Mujaki Foods, a company that comprehensively supports the opening and management of restaurants, announced that seven new restaurant owners successfully opened their businesses in Tokyo between January and April 2026, utilizing its 'Trust System.' This initiative comes at a time when restaurant bankruptcies have reached record highs, emphasizing that the key to success is not AI but the irreplaceable 'human capabilities' of the owners.
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- 📰 Published: May 11, 2026 at 22:00
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Mujaki Foods Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Hayato Tashiro; hereinafter "Mujaki Foods"), which comprehensively supports the opening and management of restaurants, announced that seven new restaurant owners successfully opened their businesses in Tokyo between January and April 2026, utilizing its "Trust System." Moving forward, the company will continue its efforts to foster unique establishments in a challenging era for restaurant management, aiming to provide emotional value.
The restaurant industry is currently facing historical headwinds. According to a survey by Tokyo Shoko Research, the number of corporate bankruptcies in March 2026 exceeded 900 for the first time in 14 years, with restaurant bankruptcies reaching an all-time high. Due to a negative chain reaction of soaring energy prices, rising commodity costs, and increasing labor expenses, independent chefs attempting to open businesses with their own capital face extremely harsh conditions. However, the owners supported by Mujaki Foods are generating profits despite these adversities. The key to their success lies not in cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), but in the irreplaceable "human capabilities" of the owners (chefs).
■ The "Human Capabilities" of Owners Supported by Mujaki Foods Are the Strongest Management Resource
Mujaki Foods promotes an independent management model that respects the owner's business judgment and refines their management skills. This self-reliant management model, called the "Trust System," builds a relationship of trust between the company and the owner by fully leveraging the individuality of owners passionate about cooking and restaurant management. Furthermore, Mujaki Foods defines "human capabilities" as the sensibility to form emotional connections with customers, in addition to the owner's cooking and hospitality skills. By deliberately not distributing a standardized operational manual, owners make their own management decisions, enabling real-time optimization of their establishments to suit the history of the town and the needs of their customers. This flexible adaptability is a unique management resource that cannot be imitated by other establishments, especially in a market where individual restaurants struggle.
■ Mujaki Foods' Selection Accuracy, Backed by Over 500 Cumulative Support Cases
The Trust System distinguishes itself from conventional chain models that only provide financial assistance, having accumulated over 500 restaurant openings in Tokyo to date. Based on this data of opening achievements, Mujaki Foods has refined its "selection capability" to identify what kind of talent to deploy in which location to ensure survival even in harsh environments. They open stores that overflow with the owner's human capabilities by not only serving meals in prime Tokyo locations like Shibuya, Jiyugaoka, Hiroo, and Ebisu, but also by weaving in the history of the town and interactions with its people. The number of openings in the first quarter of 2026 (January-March) was 3, and in April it was 4. Furthermore, 2 openings are planned for May at the current stage, steadily increasing the number of supported openings.
■ Introducing the Owners Born Through Mujaki Foods' Selection Capabilities
As examples of how Mujaki Foods has elevated the human capabilities it values into added value for stores, we introduce two establishments that opened between January and March 2026. In both cases, the owners have overcome challenging locations and highly competitive areas by incorporating their unique strengths into their business strategies.
【Improved Repeat Rate】'Sumibiyaki Hamburg Niku no Kagiri.' (Jiyugaoka)
Opened in January 2026 in Jiyugaoka, known as a highly competitive food district. It offers hamburgers, a classic dish loved by all ages as a national food, providing high cost performance and great satisfaction as an everyday luxury. Owner Narihiro Yamamoto, driven by the desire to "see customers' happy faces," meticulously focuses on cooking in front of customers, offering dishes that appeal to the "five senses" of sight, smell, and hearing. For customers, the core added value is a sense of psychological security and good value. They autonomously developed a set menu starting from 1,480 yen that offers nutritional balance, volume, and variety. This appeal to the five senses maximizes customer satisfaction, leading to repeat business and achieving a monthly sales of over 4 million yen despite having only 10 seats.
Maximizing dining satisfaction with a meticulously calculated golden ratio of one soup and three side dishes.
【Overcoming Disadvantageous Locations】'Croisée du vin' (Yotsuya Sanchome)
Opened in March 2026 in Yotsuya Sanchome, a hidden wine bar on the second floor that maximizes its location to offer a quiet and calm space. Leveraging Mr. Iwata's sommelier expertise, they customize wines for each customer, providing the "best glass" of wine, which is typically considered difficult to handle. Furthermore, focusing on the time poverty faced by modern people, they have uniquely established interactive communication with customers via social media to offer a rich and healing experience through wine. For example, by carefully replying to customer posts after their visit, they promote customer loyalty. Despite operating only at night, the average daily sales are 60,000 yen.
The restaurant industry is currently facing historical headwinds. According to a survey by Tokyo Shoko Research, the number of corporate bankruptcies in March 2026 exceeded 900 for the first time in 14 years, with restaurant bankruptcies reaching an all-time high. Due to a negative chain reaction of soaring energy prices, rising commodity costs, and increasing labor expenses, independent chefs attempting to open businesses with their own capital face extremely harsh conditions. However, the owners supported by Mujaki Foods are generating profits despite these adversities. The key to their success lies not in cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), but in the irreplaceable "human capabilities" of the owners (chefs).
■ The "Human Capabilities" of Owners Supported by Mujaki Foods Are the Strongest Management Resource
Mujaki Foods promotes an independent management model that respects the owner's business judgment and refines their management skills. This self-reliant management model, called the "Trust System," builds a relationship of trust between the company and the owner by fully leveraging the individuality of owners passionate about cooking and restaurant management. Furthermore, Mujaki Foods defines "human capabilities" as the sensibility to form emotional connections with customers, in addition to the owner's cooking and hospitality skills. By deliberately not distributing a standardized operational manual, owners make their own management decisions, enabling real-time optimization of their establishments to suit the history of the town and the needs of their customers. This flexible adaptability is a unique management resource that cannot be imitated by other establishments, especially in a market where individual restaurants struggle.
■ Mujaki Foods' Selection Accuracy, Backed by Over 500 Cumulative Support Cases
The Trust System distinguishes itself from conventional chain models that only provide financial assistance, having accumulated over 500 restaurant openings in Tokyo to date. Based on this data of opening achievements, Mujaki Foods has refined its "selection capability" to identify what kind of talent to deploy in which location to ensure survival even in harsh environments. They open stores that overflow with the owner's human capabilities by not only serving meals in prime Tokyo locations like Shibuya, Jiyugaoka, Hiroo, and Ebisu, but also by weaving in the history of the town and interactions with its people. The number of openings in the first quarter of 2026 (January-March) was 3, and in April it was 4. Furthermore, 2 openings are planned for May at the current stage, steadily increasing the number of supported openings.
■ Introducing the Owners Born Through Mujaki Foods' Selection Capabilities
As examples of how Mujaki Foods has elevated the human capabilities it values into added value for stores, we introduce two establishments that opened between January and March 2026. In both cases, the owners have overcome challenging locations and highly competitive areas by incorporating their unique strengths into their business strategies.
【Improved Repeat Rate】'Sumibiyaki Hamburg Niku no Kagiri.' (Jiyugaoka)
Opened in January 2026 in Jiyugaoka, known as a highly competitive food district. It offers hamburgers, a classic dish loved by all ages as a national food, providing high cost performance and great satisfaction as an everyday luxury. Owner Narihiro Yamamoto, driven by the desire to "see customers' happy faces," meticulously focuses on cooking in front of customers, offering dishes that appeal to the "five senses" of sight, smell, and hearing. For customers, the core added value is a sense of psychological security and good value. They autonomously developed a set menu starting from 1,480 yen that offers nutritional balance, volume, and variety. This appeal to the five senses maximizes customer satisfaction, leading to repeat business and achieving a monthly sales of over 4 million yen despite having only 10 seats.
Maximizing dining satisfaction with a meticulously calculated golden ratio of one soup and three side dishes.
【Overcoming Disadvantageous Locations】'Croisée du vin' (Yotsuya Sanchome)
Opened in March 2026 in Yotsuya Sanchome, a hidden wine bar on the second floor that maximizes its location to offer a quiet and calm space. Leveraging Mr. Iwata's sommelier expertise, they customize wines for each customer, providing the "best glass" of wine, which is typically considered difficult to handle. Furthermore, focusing on the time poverty faced by modern people, they have uniquely established interactive communication with customers via social media to offer a rich and healing experience through wine. For example, by carefully replying to customer posts after their visit, they promote customer loyalty. Despite operating only at night, the average daily sales are 60,000 yen.