Wasabi Sushi can be found in several large regional or super regional malls. Currently, the restaurant has one location in Virginia, two in Massachusetts, one in Florida and one in Texas. A sixth location is opening this fall in California, and more are planned for 2014.


The experience Davis attributes the success to the energy the restaurants offer. “It’s like retail theater —you can see directly across the entire line of action,” he says. “There are no walls around our kitchen; customers watch the food being prepared.” Food is put onto colorful plates


and set on a lit conveyor belt that snakes through the restaurant. Each location is designed differently to fit into the mall atmosphere, and customers are seated by a hostess. Diners are given menus that describe each of the 80 menu items, which include sushi as well as hot food such as salmon, chicken and soup, and dessert. Menu items have a label, so you know what you’re getting. “You just grab what


of online shopping. In addition to shopping, seeking out fashion trends, eating at a restaurant and entertainment were among the most important reasons for going to the mall.


shoppers to malls despite the prevalence


Encouraging Experiences Novel at the Mall experiences continue to drive


looks good,” says Davis. Pricing is based on plate colors and ranges from $2.50 to $5. Davis says the average ticket is $14. Beer, wine and sake are also available. While the customer directly picks the sushi off the belt, the restaurant is full-service, so a waiter attends to each customer by taking supplementary drink, hot food, and custom sushi orders, and, of course, tallies the bill.


– Glimcher Realty Trust Survey, May 2013.


Wasabi Sushi attracts a broad demographic. “A large


segment of our customers is young families,” he says. “We have a lot of offerings for kids, such as PBJ rolls that look like sushi. Teens love us because it’s trendy and cool. And healthy eaters like us because we’re not typical fried mall food.”


Bo Davis, president of Wasabi Sushi, likens the concept to retail theater.


Wasabi Sushi, Davis says, complements what trendy


shopping centers are offering. “They are attractions all to themselves,” he says. “Many offer an ice rink, movie theater, or a place like Dave and Busters.” Heads of mall leasing depart- ments like Wasabi Sushi because of the energy and excitement it adds to the common area, says Davis. “It’s not uncommon to find people taking pictures,” he says. “We get plenty of ‘oohs and aahs’.” For more information, please visit wasabisushi.com.


Stephanie Vozza is a freelance writer based in the Detroit-area. She specializes in business and real estate. Learn more at stephanievozza.com.


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