YO! Sushi, the privately-owned group led by Robin Rowland, made its debut in the US yesterday, with the soft opening of its first site in the country at Washington DC’s Union Station.
The official opening of the site will take place tomorrow (25 July).
A second site is scheduled to open in Washington DC’s Chinatown by the end of this year, followed by a further two openings in the area, as the chain focuses on the East Coast and other markets such as Chicago, Dallas, and Miami for its initial US expansion.
Last year, the group, which operates over 60 sites in the UK, signed a deal with the Sushi Company of North America to initially open up to 10 outlets in the US that will be located between Washington DC and Philadelphia.
The franchisees are Richard Pawlowski and Darren Wightman. Pawlowski is already a multi-system franchisee with 36 casual dining units in three U.S. chains - Cosi soup and sandwiches, Qdoba Mexican and Bugaboo Creek steakhouses, while Wightman was a former executive chef of the sushi brand in the UK.
The group anticipates 12 locations being open and operating in the US by the end of 2013.
