Hello everyone. I'm doing some market research and was wondering if opening a Japanese sushi restaurant is feasible here in Miles City.

Thanks in advance for your input!

I believe this post probably belongs in the humor section.

A small sushi restaurant does box office business in Bozeman. You might have half a dozen regulars here in Miles City. My husband would be one but we can't afford to eat out enough to support a restaurant by ourselves.

A sushi restaurant is not feasible in Miles City.

Your only hope would be to open a teriyaki/tempura joint, and maybe serve some rolls that don't have fresh fish involved, like smoked salmon, as a side. Even then, I'd say your odds of success are slim at best.

They ain't cheffly types in the old cowtown.

Myself and a few friends would love it. Personally, I'd eat wakame salad at least twice a week for work lunch if it was an option!

Will it be real Japanese food that will be cooked by a Japanese person? If so then my boyfriend and I would eat there!!!!

Don't listen to these locals, soleil. Trust me on this.

You will be ready to commit hari-kari the first time you watch a Miles Citian squirt ketchup on a piece of unagi.

I think you should stick with the Japanese theme, but use only local ingredients. Doesn't a nice spicy carp roll sound delicious?

I understand right now is a great time to be collecting Sauger Eggs.

Today I had the pleasure of a wonderfully tasty Catapillar Roll at Taste of Asia in Billings.

When the V-Store in Forsyth closed I tried to start a rumor that I was going to put in a Sushi bar.

In all seriousness, you can't even pay money to get a steak cooked Rare anywhere this side of Billings. It's quite disgraceful.

I can think of a dozen people who would frequent one but you would have a tough time fighting the overhead involved with a proper kitchen/dining establishment that complied with health codes. Think about heating the place in the winter when very few folks will bear the cold for something like sushi.

You need something besides sushi to strengthen your cost to profit margin or else you'll need a small place with low overhead that served as a sideline to something bigger that brought people near you without them having to go out of their way. I heard Frank wanted to do some sort of kitchen once at the Shorter Stop with some sort of Asian cuisine but that might have just been rumor or a fleeting idea. You might ask him. It would be far better than hot dogs and nuked chuckwagon sandwiches.

Then again sushi from a gas station doesn't have a nice ring to it.

You might also try sushi night at the Elks or Eagles or try catering it but beware the health codes and what it costs to create a functional, affordable commercial kitchen.

I'd figure out how much each serving costs/makes you and then determine how many sushi rolls you need to sell to break even with x amount of overhead cost. Your feasibility analysis will give you an idea of the scale you'd need to operate on to have a chance. A business can only use the profit from good months to get through the bad months if they save the money!

http://www.gaebler.com/St...aurant.htm

FH

PS- I predict failure within 18 months depending on the size of your bankroll, due primarily to demographics and population. But, I also laughed at Cinnabon and once invested in a start-up called Snowrunnr http://www.wheels.org/mon...nch/?p=345, so never mind.

Why are some people in our community such jackasses? I think a Japanese/ Sushi place would be great here. I mean look at the Hunan or the one over on 5th street they seem to be doin fairly well. I support this man for wanting to start something. I'd frequent it alot even if it's a couple times a week for lunch or dinner.

Don't worry Buck, most of us have left your community to spead our jackassing throughout the land. That said, you pretty much hit the nail on the head. The success of the New Hunan is exactly why a Japanese restaurant is doomed to fail.

I would go...and I know quite a few others that would too. This restaurant in Bozeman offers other dishes, such as Wagyu Ribeye, along with sushi. I think you would need that as well to make it appeal to more of Miles City. Also, you can't go wrong with a good teriyaki and tempura!

http://www.7sushibozeman.com/

When ever the urge comes to put any business in a small rural area, you have to look at population. If only a very small percentage of the population would frequent your establishment, your customer base is quite small. That same percentage in a larger community, like Billings, would bring in more customers. That is why larger communities have specialized stores, indoor pools, skate parks and the such. If you knew the bottom line of most businesses in Miles City, you would probably see very little more than paychecks for the owners with everything else going to overhead.

Just food for thought.

I know quite a few people including myself that would go, and contrary to popular belief people in MC are willing to try new things at least once any ways.

I know quite a few people including myself that would go, and contrary to popular belief people in MC are willing to try new things at least once any ways.

And that is why, IMO, a Japanese restaurant will not work in Miles City. Eating this sort of food is a lifestyle choice, not a try it once situation. There are not enough people in town with this kind of diet to make such a place successful. If a BBQ beef place can't make it there, a Japanese restaurant has no chance.

atomicg wrote:

You might also try sushi night at the Elks or Eagles or try catering it but beware the health codes and what it costs to create a functional, affordable commercial kitchen.

This is the correct answer.

Larger markets than Miles City have done this with some success. It's hard to find someone who can make a decent California roll. And I don't see sashimi as an option around here.

If the weekly/monthly sushi nights are a success, then you could think about taking the next step...

Thank you, atomicq for the only sensible & respectful answer to the original post.

I'd take Japanese, Thai or Vietnamese cuisine over Chinese any day and there's two Chinese places here.

I think a Japanese restaurant would do well if...


1) it doesn't only offer sushi, but offers a wide range of meals.
2) service is excellent. For example, no servers chewing gum like a cow chews cud, prompt and courteous, meal at proper temperature, clean clothes etc.
3) cost is reasonable. I'm not asking for rock bottom here. I'm willing to pay more for a really good meal.

.....and, isn't what I said in my post, third one down?

Snorkie, you are a tool. Work on your remedial reading skills.

I see no reason to be respectful to freakin' morons like snorkie, who does her own battles here on other threads. Your type of Miles Citians make me want to throw up. I bet you voted for Eric Moore.

Go back to what I have posted, anybody else who cares, and tell me that I have not posted helpful information?

Your comment about Miles Citians squirting ketchup on everything reads as disrespectful of Miles Citians & lends a sarcastic tone to your answer. It wasn't particularly constructive advice, just the usual snobbery your posts relay.

Anyone who puts ketchup on their steak is subhuman.

Just sayin'

Gunnar bases a lot of his observations on his narrow circle of friends and acquaintances in Miles City. I think back to other ethnic foods offered to the Miles City palate that were quite good, but never lasted long. There was a little restaurant that offer middle Eastern food on the corner of front street near Parkers that offered fantastic dishes. More recently there was a place near the Cenex station that had great Memphis style of barbecue. All gone.

When you talk about disrespect, what about the whiners who go to a restaurant and complain on milescity.com about bout the service or when rhey had to wait 10 seconds longer to be seated. What do you think they say after their first bite of raw fish or choke on the wasabi sauce..

I see that two of you have mentioned the loss of the Bar-B-Que place. I did not gather that they closed and moved due to lack of business. There were apparently other concerns at that location that caused the move. I am one that would not frequent the Japanese Sushii restaurant.

Japanese food doesn't always include sushi. I thought Gunner's tempura/teriyaki comment was both relevant and on the money. The sushi rolls aren't a bad idea, I would eat them, but they won't hold you afloat without something else to help pay all those bills.

If you're interested in using the Elks kitchen call Rita or Candi up at the lodge 234-3234. Leave a message and someone will call you back with the details. This is a great way to offer your food at low cost and you can work it out so there will be a full bar available to those who want it. There is a small kitchen on the main floor and a full commercial kitchen and dining room downstairs. For a smaller event I'd serve in the Fireside Room on the main floor near the bar but bring someone to help run up and down the stairs.

Having been an officer up there I can assure you they will be interested in having people come and offer their customers new food! But it will require proper advertising and you may have to pay the kitchen rental fee for one day. There's great people up there and they need more venues. I feel the Elks is one of the most underutilized buildings around.

The Art Center had some exotic food out there last year that I missed out on with some music, can't remember the ethnicity but I remember it sounded really good. You might ask around and you'll find there's people who might help put on a regular "Exotic Food Night" sort of event.

I waited years to try sushi and other ethnic foods. What a fool I was.

The Range Riders Museum also has a licensed commercial kitchen that can be rented by caterers. The dining room/Memorial Hall is also available for year-round rental.

It might be a good idea to work with an existing organization to create a fundraiser and see what the reaction is to the food.

A Japanese arcade would have a better chance. Games involving Godzilla, pokemon and martial arts (jujutsu) would bring people in.
"Wax on, wax off!"

Now I want sushi real bad.
There are a couple places down in Laramie that serve sushi. Have never been to them (opened after I graduated) but everything I've heard has been good. Granted it has a 12,000 kids that show up every Fall, but I think a nice little Japanese, Vietnamese cusisine restaurant could work. But I'm just a hillbilly like everybody else in this town so what do I know.

I'm not sure why I got drug into this....
My reading skills are fine.
Wtf?

I think it would be a wonderful idea! It would give this town more options when you want to go out for dinner. Let's face it the "steak houses" around here get old fast!

I agree that opening a Japanese Eatery would be difficult because a lot of people have not experienced the variety and think that raw fish is the only thing there is. However there is more and if one opened I would definitely patronize it because I like Japanese, Thai food the best. That being said would it make it, that would be difficult, the suggestion to use an already established facility is a good one if you could work it out, it would also give people who like to try different food the chance to see what there really is to offer. Possibly if you were able to use one of the facilite mentioned in the emails, you might be able to do it in another area. There are open minded people who like new food, I would love a dish of tempura udon, or tendon, so check out your options and keep your mind open and think outside of the box on your business possibility. Good Luck whatever decision you make.