Introduction example

Hikosomachi in Kanazawa. In a street that still retains the atmosphere of a teahouse district, “Sushi Kobatani” quietly hangs out its noren curtain. Focusing on fish from the Hokuriku region—mainly Toyama’s Himi and Shinminato—the restaurant continues to serve piece after piece that brings out their appeal using classic Edomae techniques. Rather than relying solely on the quality of the fish, they carefully consider every detail, from preparation and temperature to how long the fish is rested, so they can serve each guest the very best expression of that day’s ingredients. This sincere approach has captivated many discerning diners. In recent years, the number of overseas guests has grown, and the way they handle reservations and customer service has gradually begun to change. We spoke with the owner, Mr. Kobatani, about the background to introducing Respo and how it is actually used in day-to-day operations.

Yamasaki, a Japanese restaurant located in Nishi-Azabu, Tokyo, is a place where guests can fully enjoy seasonal ingredients and the chef’s craftsmanship with all five senses, set around a stage-like L-shaped counter of plain wood. Just three months after opening in August 2018, it was awarded one Michelin star in the MICHELIN Guide Tokyo 2019 and has continued to attract attention from both Japan and abroad. Because the restaurant is run by a small team, they place the utmost importance on spending time face-to-face with each individual guest. At the same time, however, the burden of back-office tasks such as reservation management and customer support had long been a challenge. In this interview, we spoke in depth with the owner, Shiro Yamasaki, about his philosophy on running the restaurant, the issues they faced before introducing Respo, and the changes and ways they now use it after implementation.

Installation Table ENSO L'asymetrie du calme, nestled in the quiet streets of Kanazawa, is a popular restaurant known for its highly original French innovative cuisine, with a strong focus on using ingredients from the Hokuriku region and creating a space that makes the most of its historic building. In this interview, we spoke in depth about the owner’s vision for creating the restaurant, the challenges they faced before introducing Respo, and the changes and practical ways they have been using it since implementation.

Located on Tomikoji Street in Kyoto, the Japanese restaurant “Tomikoji Yamagishi” has maintained its Michelin one-star rating for nine consecutive years. The group now operates eight locations in Kyoto and Tokyo, expanding into multiple formats including traditional Japanese cuisine, kaiseki hot pot, izakaya, and yakiniku. The Yamagishi Group had previously faced challenges with its former third-party ledger system, particularly in integrating with reservation platforms and sharing customer information across the group. By introducing Respo, they have achieved more efficient operations across multiple locations, as well as “optimization” tailored to each restaurant—combining tools such as mobile ordering and payment terminals. We spoke with members of the Kyoto Yamagishi Group about the changes they’ve seen since implementing Respo and the unique ways they are making use of it.

Mizutaki Tobu, located in Yokote City, Akita Prefecture, is a chicken cuisine restaurant that offers delicious dishes and a relaxing space where guests can unwind. Previously, reservations were only accepted by phone, but after introducing the Respo by AutoReserve (hereafter “Respo”) reservation ledger, not only did day-to-day restaurant operations become easier, it also helped attract new customers. We spoke with the owner couple, the Satos, about what prompted them to introduce the Respo reservation ledger and what has changed since its implementation.

Kagurazaka has long flourished as a geisha district and still retains the atmosphere of its history and culture. Step just one street back from the main road and you’ll find cobblestone alleys and side streets lined with small but carefully curated restaurants and bars of many different types. “124.KAGURAZAKA” is a hidden yakitori restaurant that proudly features premium branded chicken. It has only counter seating and accepts guests by reservation only, yet more than 80% of its bookings come in online. Thanks to the introduction of the Respo reservation ledger, they say they have been able to “create time to focus on serving the customers right in front of us.” We spoke with Mr. Takayoshi Hiyamizu, who handles day‑to‑day operations as the right-hand man of owner‑chef Toshio Kimura, about the key reasons for adopting the system and the benefits it has brought.

Japanese restaurant Takanohane is located within walking distance of Shizuoka Station on the JR Tokaido Line, the gateway to sightseeing in Shizuoka. The warm, wood-accented interior offers just eight counter seats, where guests can watch the chefs at work. Here you can enjoy a kaiseki-style Japanese course meal that showcases seasonal ingredients, together with the refined movements of owner-chef Kotaro Marumo, who honed his skills for 20 years at a renowned Japanese restaurant in Tokyo. From its opening in September 2023, the restaurant has used the Respo reservation ledger. The deciding factors, he says, were “improving efficiency through online reservations and being able to collect cancellation fees.” Marumo adds, “Setting cancellation fees is also a form of ‘trust’ that connects our guests and the restaurant.” At this fully reservation-only restaurant, online bookings account for 40% of all reservations. We spoke with him about his thoughts on the cancellation policy and his impressions after introducing the Respo reservation ledger.

Bistro Neige is a French restaurant nestled amid the rich rural landscape of Yamaga City in Kumamoto Prefecture. Here you can savor course meals that make generous use of local vegetables and ingredients from across Kyushu, perfectly paired with a selection of 40 different wines and craft beers. The garden, handcrafted by owner-chef Noriyuki Kawaguchi, makes this a hidden-gem restaurant where you can enjoy the changing scenery of the four seasons. In September 2023, its eighth year in business, the restaurant introduced the Respo reservation ledger. With zero commission fees for customer referrals, it has led to greater operational efficiency and the acquisition of new customers, prompting Kawaguchi to say that “so far, I haven’t found any drawbacks.” We spoke with him about what prompted the introduction and his thoughts on how he wants to shape the restaurant going forward.

Numata City in Gunma Prefecture is located in the northeastern part of the prefecture, surrounded by mountains such as Mount Akagi and Mount Hotaka, both listed among Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains. “Restaurant Cresson” has been loved by many customers for 24 years since its founding in this nature-rich area near the Numata Interchange. Its moss-green exterior walls, which evoke the origin of the restaurant’s name, along with its distinctive triangular roof and windows, really catch the eye. Owner Mr. Suda has used several different management systems from other companies in the past, but in September 2023 he switched to the Respo reservation ledger and POS register. He says, “I couldn’t find any reason not to use a system that, for a flat fee, can save so much effort.” We asked him about his impressions after introducing the Respo reservation ledger and POS register, as well as his thoughts on managing the restaurant going forward.

"Sora Cafe & Dining" in Hirayagawase, Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, is a unique café-restaurant themed around astronomy. The owner, Mr. Otsuka, introduced the Respo self-order system and Respo reservation ledger as a set when the restaurant opened in July 2023, and began operating with them from day one. We asked him about what prompted him to consider implementing the system, how it feels to use, and which features are helpful for day-to-day store operations.

This time, we spoke with Mr. Yamada, the owner of the yakiniku izakaya “Sumibi Yakiniku Kintaro” in Tenpaku Ward, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, which opened in June 2023. From the day the restaurant opened, they started using Respo Self-Order and the Respo Reservation Ledger, and he says the convenience has exceeded his expectations. He shared with us why they decided to introduce the system, the benefits they’ve felt since implementation, and his outlook for the future.

This time, we spoke with Mr. Okuda, the owner of the yakitori restaurant “Yakitori Okuda” in Higashihiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture. Wanting to eliminate missed orders and billing mistakes, he introduced Respo Self-Order in July 2021. He shared with us what has improved since implementation, as well as some unexpected benefits.

"haku," located a short distance away from the hustle and bustle of Shibuya Station, is a wine bar where you can enjoy small plates based on natural wine and spices. With a limited number of seats, it offers a calm, intimate atmosphere, and standing drinking is also available. This time, we spoke with owner Mr. Enomoto and project manager Mr. Sato about what led them to introduce the Respo reservation ledger and how it has affected their store operations.

Located in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, “Wagyu Shio Motsunabe Sumibi Yakitori Nabekin Shin-Yurigaoka” is a restaurant proud of its wagyu offal hot pot and charcoal-grilled yakitori. Manager Mr. Yamada introduced Respo Self-Order in April 2023. Two months later, at “Yakitori Motsunabe Nabekin Musashi-Kosugi Main Branch” in Musashi-Kosugi, where his younger brother serves as manager, they also decided to introduce not only Respo Self-Order but the Respo reservation ledger as well. This time, we spoke with Mr. Yamada, the owner of both locations, about what prompted him to introduce Respo Self-Order, his impressions after actually using it in the restaurants, and how it has affected store operations, including sales.

This time, we spoke with Mr. Kumon, the owner of the soba restaurant “SOBA.BAR.PARTY SPACE 縁 (Soba Bar Party Space Kizuna)” located in Meito Ward, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture. Although they had previously used a different self-order system, they felt that Respo Self-Order offered greater advantages in terms of faster response to inquiries, cost, and ease of use. By introducing Respo Self-Order, they were able to reduce operational and new-staff training costs, and it has also been well received by regular customers. In this interview, we asked about the reasons for introducing Respo Self-Order, the effects it has had, and feedback from customers.

In addition to being a rice shop, “Shokujidokoro Komeya” is a restaurant where you can enjoy fluffy rice cooked in their own kettle. With counter seats, table seats, raised tatami seating, and irori hearth seating, they offer a variety of spaces that are popular not only with local residents of Kagawa Prefecture but also with travelers. Against the backdrop of labor shortages in the food and beverage industry, Komeya introduced the Respo self-order system in October 2022. This time, we spoke with the manager, Mr. Takagi, about how implementing Respo Self-Order has affected the restaurant, how customers are responding, and his impressions after the introduction.

The izakaya Shutenkyōji TAGURU, where you can enjoy homemade hand-cut soba and local sake from Kanagawa, introduced the Respo self-ordering system in June 2022. Three months later, in September, they also implemented the Respo reservation ledger. Manager Mr. Tanaka says that streamlining reservation management and order handling has brought many benefits to the restaurant. We asked him about his impressions of each product, along with the advantages of standardizing all their store management systems with AutoReserve’s solutions.

Since June, Hello Inc. has been offering the Respo by AutoReserve reservation ledger (hereafter, Respo Reservation Ledger). It allows you to centrally manage all reservations, for a monthly fee of 5,000 yen. It comes equipped with a variety of features, including customer management and automatic collection of cancellation fees. Munch’s Burger Shack, which has been using the Respo Reservation Ledger since mid-June, previously used a different online reservation system and says they had a bitter experience due to the large number of same-day no‑show cancellations. What kind of impact has the introduction of the Respo Reservation Ledger had on the restaurant? And has their image of online reservation systems changed? We asked Munch’s Burger Shack for their impressions of the Respo Reservation Ledger.

Hello Inc. has newly released “Respo by AutoReserve Reservation Ledger” (hereafter, Respo Reservation Ledger) and began full-scale operation in June. For this interview, we spoke with Zenshi Suikōan, a restaurant that has been using the Respo Reservation Ledger since it first became available. Located in Minato Ward, it is an extremely popular establishment with reservations fully booked several months in advance. Suikōan is currently in the process of switching from the reservation ledger they had mainly been using up to now to the Respo Reservation Ledger. We asked them about their impressions of using it and how they make use of it.

With its cozy, at-home atmosphere, “Chinese Snacks, Drinks, and Meals Bama” is a distinctive restaurant. Located in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture, Bama is loved by a wide range of customers, from students to seniors, and an impressive 80% of them are repeat visitors. To reduce the burden on staff, Bama introduced Respo Self-Order in May 2022. Not only did it solve their operational challenges, it also brought surprising benefits such as “an increase in average spend per customer.” We spoke with the owner, Mr. Maruyama, about the impact of implementing Respo Self-Order.

At “Ris Café,” a popular spot near Takadanobaba Station, you’ll be greeted by their mascot dog, Mochi. The sweets, created under the direction of a former owner–pâtissier from Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, are highly photogenic and frequently become a hot topic on Instagram. Ris Café says that within just one month of introducing Respo Self-Order, the issues they had been struggling with were resolved. We asked them about the specific benefits and how their customers have reacted.

The popular yakiniku restaurant in Akita Prefecture, “Sumibi de Iroiro Yaitetekureya,” has introduced Respo Self-Order in a fully online setup. We asked them about the impact Respo Self-Order has had on their restaurant and their impressions at the time of implementation.

L.S cafe switched from another company and implemented Respo by AutoReserve Self-Order (hereafter, Respo Self-Order). This time, we asked them about the background of the switch and the benefits of introducing the system.