.Tokyo Dining Group helps restaurant concepts succeed —faster, leaner, and true to their identity. Founded by veteran operator Jesse Duron with over 25 years of experience across multiple countries, we localize menus, tighten operations, build brands, and run focused launch sprints. We started this firm because we’re tired of seeing great ideas fail from bad advice or business models that don’t fit American standards—especially with brands coming from Japan. Our promise: protect your authenticity, fix the friction, and deliver a playbook your team can run tomorrow.

Why we exist

We’re tired of watching good restaurants open and fail because they were given bad advice—or because a beautiful concept was never adapted to the realities of the local market. We’ve seen too many promising brands from Japan, in particular, struggle with menu fit, pricing, labor, sourcing, compliance, and guest expectations. We’re here to change that: protect authenticity, fix the friction, and set you up to win in the U.S.

What we do

• Market fit & localization: Menu development, portioning, flavor profile adjustments, pricing strategy, allergens & compliance, guest journey.

• Operations & profitability: COGS and labor modeling, vendor/sourcing, kitchen and service flow, training playbooks.

• Brand & story: Naming, visual identity, photography/content direction, PR angles, community partnerships.

• Launch & growth: Soft opening strategy, creator/press seeding, local social media connections.

From neighborhood gems to Michelin-recognized brands, our team has helped launch and lead standout concepts including Hamasaku, Phorage, El Barrio Cantina, and Tokyo Noir Bar. Whether you’re expanding to the U.S. from Japan or opening your very first restaurant, we bring creative leadership, operational discipline, and cultural fluency in both English and Japanese.