"Respo's growth directly drives our restaurant's growth" — How Sushi Rinda has used Respo throughout their journey together

While honoring the traditions and techniques of Edomae sushi, we strive to create a truly satisfying experience—not only through the quality of our cuisine, but also through thoughtful attention to detail and a comfortable rapport with each guest.

While placing the utmost importance on the fundamentals of sushi-making, such as shaping the sushi and preparing the ingredients, we also strive to create a relaxed atmosphere where guests can enjoy themselves through conversation across the counter.

To mark our 10th anniversary, we undertook a major renovation centered around a counter where guests can sit around the chef. This closer connection with our guests allows us to better understand each person’s needs and pay careful attention to every detail of the food and service.

The course begins with a piece of medium-fatty tuna, with dishes such as soup, sashimi, and a small rice bowl interspersed between the nigiri. Centered on the chef’s mastery of nigiri, the menu is thoughtfully composed with playful touches that reflect his unique style throughout.

At the end of the course, guests are invited to compare a selection of rich mandarin juices made at Kono Orchard, the owner's family farm. This signature experience, unique to Sushi Rinda, allows you to relax and savor the lingering pleasure of the sushi.

We welcome a wide range of guests, with a particularly strong following among younger diners. Having been in business for many years, we are fortunate to have many loyal customers who have continued to visit us since our early days. We believe the relationships we have built with guests who return time and again as part of their everyday enjoyment are the true treasure of Sushi Rinda.

In recent years, the number of international customers visiting us has continued to grow. On some days, it is not uncommon for nearly all of our customers to be from overseas.

Broadly speaking, there are three main points.

The biggest challenge was overbooking. At the time, we were using multiple booking platforms, but no one on site was able to manage them centrally, so overbookings occurred frequently. In addition, each platform had different terms and features, such as referral commission structures and whether customers were charged fees, making it difficult even to compare them and determine which one was truly the best fit for our business.

The next major challenge was dealing with no-shows and same-day cancellations. Previously, whenever a no-show or same-day cancellation occurred, we would contact the customer directly by phone or email and ask them to transfer the course fee, but some customers would simply stop responding. For a sushi restaurant with limited seating, a site that only accepts reservations but cannot collect cancellation fees is, frankly, of little value. That is why we felt the need to narrow our options down to reservation sites that could reliably collect cancellation fees.

We had no systematic way to store customer information in the first place, so we had to rely on each staff member's memory. Naturally, this made it difficult to share that information with other staff, and whenever the person in charge changed, there were times when the relationship with the customer had to be rebuilt from scratch.

The biggest factor was that, from an early stage, Respo already had a reliable system in place for collecting cancellation fees. At the time, we were struggling with no-shows and same-day cancellations, so this feature alone was reason enough to choose Respo.

Another defining feature of Respo is its policy of not charging referral fees. While many restaurant discovery platforms tend to favor users making reservations, I felt that Respo had been committed to supporting restaurants from the outset. Looking back, this stance remains one of the main reasons we have been able to place our trust in Respo for so long.

Another benefit is its integration with other booking sites. I felt that the ability to manage multiple booking channels in one place would significantly reduce the workload for staff.

Looking back now, what stands out most is how Respo has been there with us every step of the way from the very beginning—not only in terms of functionality, but also through its support. Rather than simply providing us with a tool and leaving it at that, the team listened sincerely to each store’s circumstances and needs, and showed a genuine commitment to working together to create something better. That ongoing collaboration is one of the reasons we have maintained such a long-standing relationship.

The biggest change has been in how we collect cancellation fees. In addition to no-shows, we can now apply our cancellation policy flexibly when customers contact us at the last minute on the day of their reservation to say they can no longer make it, deciding whether to charge a fee based on their circumstances. We make sure to collect the fee for no-shows without notice, while allowing the restaurant to use its discretion when customers contact us with a valid reason. This flexibility is very well suited to the realities of our business. Since every reservation directly affects our bottom line, this gives us tremendous peace of mind from a management perspective. Respo also has a feature that lets us send a special message to our followers when a table suddenly becomes available. This allows us to notify regular customers first and turn the potential loss caused by a cancellation into a new sales opportunity. The fact that it supports our business by providing both peace of mind and a way to recoup lost revenue is extremely valuable.

Another major change is that a culture of collecting and utilizing customer information has taken root at our restaurant. We place great importance on managing customer information. For example, when a regular customer visits with someone, we make sure to record information about their companion in Respo’s customer notes as well. With each visit, we build up detailed information, such as anniversaries like a spouse’s birthday and the customer’s favorite sushi toppings—for example, sea urchin. We feel that it is Respo’s customer information management features that have enabled us to use this information to better serve and welcome customers on their next visit. If we had to identify a challenge going forward, it would be how to make the fullest possible use of the information stored in Respo across our entire staff. All the necessary features are already in place, so the rest depends on how we use them within the restaurant. By taking the quality of information sharing to the next level, we believe we can further enhance the hospitality offered at Sushi Rinda.

What we always keep in mind is how to make it as simple as possible to use.

Some staff members are comfortable with digital tools, while others prefer more traditional, analog methods. Even younger employees are not necessarily proficient at using systems. Unless everyone can use them confidently and without stress, the quality of customer service may become inconsistent.

That is precisely why, rather than trying to master every last feature, we focus on keeping our operations simple so that everyone can use the system in the same way. Piling on elaborate settings and making things more complicated for staff would defeat the purpose. The key to how Sushi Rinda uses Respo is creating an operational setup that allows anyone on the floor to focus on customers without hesitation or difficulty.

Respo has undoubtedly evolved in terms of functionality since we first started using it. Over the same period, Sushi Rinda itself has expanded to more locations, attracted a broader range of customers, and steadily moved to the next level. I truly believe it is no exaggeration to say that Respo’s enhanced functionality has directly contributed to the restaurant’s growth.

We want to continue improving together with Respo and take customer satisfaction to even greater heights. With that goal in mind, we hope to move forward together into the next stage.

Having worked with Respo for many years and witnessed its growth firsthand, I can confidently say that it is becoming easier to use and more convenient with each passing day.

We hope it will continue to evolve into a system that surpasses even the major established reservation management platforms in the food and beverage industry. With that expectation in mind, we continue to share our requests and feedback. They genuinely listen and respond to suggestions for improvements and new features, so we can confidently recommend the system to others in the industry.

Address: 2-24-12 Shimomeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo

Phone number: 03-6420-3343

Restaurant information:https://autoreserve.com/ja/restaurants/pkCrUiwjts2zC7MHyXmT