The Challenge

When I was brought in, Hamasaku was operating at a loss and carrying the added pressure of an active lawsuit. Labor and food costs were out of control, the menu needed focus, and day-to-day operations lacked a repeatable system.

What I Did

• Cost Discipline, Fast: Audited P&L, tightened scheduling, reset prep levels, standardized yields/portions, and renegotiated purchasing to bring labor and food cost down immediately.

• Menu Engineering: Analyzed P-mix, removed low-margin items, repriced strategically, introduced new signature dishes, and created a clear path for seasonal features.

• People & Training: Hired and onboarded key roles, implemented pre-shift playbooks, and rebuilt service standards to raise consistency and pace.

• Floor Flow & Reservations: Optimized seating and turns, refined Resy strategy, and clarified the guest journey from booking to goodbye.

• Light Remodel & Brand Refresh: Updated layout, lighting, and aesthetics with a help of a designer.

Results

• Profitability in ~6 months.

• Annualized revenue of ~$3M by the end of my tenure—from just 40 seats.

• Stronger average check, better table turns, fewer comps/voids, and a tighter, more motivated team.

• Received a Michelin Bib