Kura Sushi, Inc. · Year ended October 2025
At Kura Sushi, five empty plates start a game
Kura Sushi runs revolving-sushi restaurants in Japan, the United States, Taiwan and other markets, serving sushi, noodles and desserts. Diners can take sushi from the conveyor belt or order dishes from a screen.
Where the empty plates go
Sushi travels to diners. Empty plates travel to the wash area.
Putting an empty plate into the slot links collection and counting. Five plates trigger a game.
- Take sushi and eat
Sushi travels along the rotating belt under covers.
- Return the empty plates
The slot leads to an under-belt water channel and the wash area.
- Play after five plates
The plate count triggers a game. A prize follows only a winning result.
Schematic based on the water-channel explanation in the 2015 San Diego opening release and the five-plate steps in the current visitor guide. It does not show every restaurant’s current layout or specification, or the route after washing. The dotted line represents the count linkage, not wiring.
Source: 2015 system description · Current visitor guide (Japanese)
Building entertainment around both full and empty plates
One slot connects restaurant work with entertainment
Collection, play and promotion are different roles within the same system.
- Collect and count platesSupport the work of clearing tables
- Start a game after five platesA prize follows only a winning result
- Use it in collaborationsCustomer-attraction efforts described by the company
The company also bears the cost of running the restaurants
SG&A increased more than gross profit
Change in consolidated amounts from FY2024 to FY2025, both years ended October. ¥ million, on a shared scale starting at zero. Our calculations from actual results on PDF p.9 of the financial results. The gap is ¥239 million.
THE VIEW AFTER THE NUMBERS
What the numbers suggest
Clearing an empty plate becomes a count and a chance to play. Kura Sushi builds entertainment into the restaurant’s workings, from choosing a passing dish to returning the plate after eating.
In FY2025, sales rose, but SG&A increased more than gross profit. The dining experience sits alongside the costs of operating a 687-store, directly operated network. The table’s return slot is a small opening onto the wider business.
Primary sources used
FY2025 Financial Results (Japanese)
Kura Sushi, Inc. · 2025-12-10
Pages used: p.1, 9 / p.4
Open source →FY2025 Results Presentation (Japanese)
Kura Sushi, Inc. · 2025-12-10
Pages used: p.6, 9 / p.9, 25-26
Open source →San Diego opening and restaurant systems (Japanese)
Kura Sushi, Inc. · 2015-03-31
Open source →First-time visitor guide (Japanese)
Kura Sushi, Inc.
Open source →