When three years ago we opened PokiTime, it was a shot in the dark to introduce a new cuisine and concept to the SF Bay Area. With our early success, some folks called us smart and opportunistic while others called us lucky. Regardless, one question topped everyone’s mind: was this “poke thing” going to last? Or would it fade away into the saturated oblivion that is the restaurant scene, joining the likes of countless boba tea, burger, and hot pot joints?
For the sake of perseverance, or perhaps sheer survival, the question we asked ourselves was “what are we going to do to differentiate ourselves?” And to answer that question we’d go down the rabbit hole of asking other questions like: “what do our customers really want?” Granted these are questions typically reserved for tech companies trying to innovate and spit out the next minimum viable product (or other dorky stuff like that). But heck, why shouldn’t a restaurant ask itself the same thing? Maybe the lack of such curiously can help explain the depressing success rate of most restaurants.
So we looked ourselves in the mirror, talked to our customers, and realized they wanted something more… something different even. Based on those insights, four months ago we opened Tuna Kahuna — a spinoff of PokiTime. It features a unique menu with dishes consisting of yuzu white truffle poke, cured egg yolks, umami flavored sushi rice, seared salmon belly, tuna shiso wasabi poke, and more. All carefully paired with an assortment of beer, wine and sake. And this time we did more than just put our name on the wall: we built a place people would want to hang out. It cost us an arm and a leg but it’s definitely date night worthy — come check it out!
Fast forward four months and we’re thrilled with the results. We have a busy store, stellar reviews, and satisfied customers every day. More than half of our customers are trying our new signature menus, motivating us to hit the lab and experiment with the next great idea.
The truth of the matter is, nothing lasts forever. But we’ve sampled the innovation drug and we’re addicted to the high. So follow us as we embark on this journey. We’ll be talking about new menu item ideas, life behind the restaurant scene, new opportunities, new partnerships, and other random stuff we find interesting.
BTW, I’m Doug, I’m an entrepreneur, more specifically a restaurant owner. I cook, I drink, I swear occasionally, and I believe in the relentless pursuit of excellence in just about everything I do. Now, I’m trying my hand at writing, which is another story, for another blog, another time. Stay tuned…