Only a handful of countries in the world are well known to be very protective of their cuisine, two of which are Japan and Italy. Japanese and Italians are reputed to be demanding about the quality of ingredients and how their dishes are executed.
It may come as no surprise that Sagami has built a thriving business in northern Italy since 2015. With more than 250 outlets scattered across Japan, the Nagoya-born restaurant chain has six outlets (both co-owned and franchised) in Milan, Bologna, Parma, Modena, and Reggio Emilia.
“This year, we are planning to open at least four new Sagami restaurants in Italy. If we can open four more, that will mean a total of 10 Sagami restaurants in existence here,” Co-owner Makoto Isaji told GMI POST.
Breaking into the Italian market wasn’t easy, according to Isaji, because most Italians assumed Sagami served sushi. However, its menu is extensive, with the most popular items being Japanese noodles dishes with soba, udon, and kishimen.
About his long-term goals, Isaji hopes to remove misconceptions held by many Italians about Japanese cuisine.
“Now, the image of Japanese food for Italian people is still sushi. I hope someday a Japanese restaurant for them will mean Sagami. We serve authentic Japan dishes and we take pride in what we serve,” Isaji said.
“While Italy is very far from Japan, we want our clients to feel a Japanese atmosphere. This is our concept. The important thing is that we do quality food. We ultimately want to spread our dream and our concept to all of Italy,” he added.
