ENG
日本語At a glance of Shin-Sen-Gumi group
| Company Name | Shin-Sen-Gumi Restaurant Group |
| Date of Establishment | July 1992 |
| President | Mitsuyasu Shigeta a.k.a "Kyokucho" |
| Number of Employees | 450 |
| Head Office Address | 17840 S Western Ave, Gardena, CA 90248, USA |
| Number of Restaurants | 15 |
| Description of Business | Operates Shin-Sen-Gumi group restaurants including the central kitchen |
OUR PHILOSOPHY
A Place of Human Development
In the beginning, when Shin-Sen-Gumi was getting started, Mr. Shigeta had a strong desire through his work to promote himself, gain a reputation and, of course, profit financially. However, looking back he now feels that this was a greedy way of thinking. One day, three years after the opening, Mr. Shigeta found himself looking at one of his young employees who started as a part-timer and he noticed something. This employee, who at the start couldn’t even greet customers properly or understand how to see to customers’ needs was now doing both very well. When he noticed this, Mr. Shigeta felt embarrassed by his greedy motives. After that, such impure motivations naturally disappeared. At Shin-Sen-Gumi, we strive to develop people. With that thought in mind we pursue a philosophy of employee education. This belief leads to our workplace motto, “an educational environment that provides people with the opportunity to grow and become a positive contribution to society through the workplace”.
A Way of Living That Brings Joy
As a young man, while Mr. Shigeta was working part-time at the Hakata, Japan yakitori (roasted chicken skewers) restaurant “Tonsho” he worked so hard that his manager might have even thought that the hourly wage he was paying him was too cheap. Rather than wondering if this was what he was meant to be, whether this was something he wanted to do or not, Mr. Shigeta took every task he was handed seriously and worked his hardest. With that commitment and focus, the results of his discipline and hard work naturally came to fruition. Conversely, if he had been calculated at that time it certainly have come back to bite him. It is because of this lifestyle where one can honestly find joy in others that the current Shin-Sen-Gumi is enjoying its success.
The Importance of a Proper Greeting
At Shin-Sen-Gumi we put great importance on properly greeting people and on our manners, being aware of your surroundings, being attentive, and generally taking care of people. When a customer enters one of our restaurants he or she is always greeted properly. Our restaurants are a sacred place where one can share the culture of Japanese cuisine and interact with customers. Therefore, greeting with proper courtesy is expected not only when dealing with the customers but also when people enter and leave the restaurant. This custom and practice is also applied to our fellow employees. Furthermore, greeting others with the proper courtesy is a way of exchanging “energy” and when carried out properly, greeting others can draw out and heighten the “energy” that lies in us all. If a customer tired from his or her workday is greeted properly this may help them face tomorrow with a new vitality.
Thinking of the Customers' Convenience
Like no other Japanese restaurant, since its opening, Shin-Sen-Gumi has been open for business 7 days a week, 365 days a year with no holidays. This was born out of a frustrating experience when Mr. Shigeta couldn’t find anyplace open during the New Year’s holiday. Because we think that restaurants exist for the convenience of the customer and not the employee Shin-Sen-Gumi is open all year round with no holidays. During the New Year’s holiday we offer the traditional preparation of mochi rice cakes with a wooden mallet (a Japanese News Years staple) and serve o-zoni, a traditional soup also containing mochi rice cakes. All of these services have been started to make the customer happy.
Shin-Sen-Gumi Charity Summer Festival
As a place for imparting Japanese culture and local area vitalization Shin-Sen-Gumi holds several events throughout the year such as the mochitsuki ceremony during the New Year’s holiday, Children’s Day, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and more but most important event held is the “Summer Festival”. At the 5th Annual Shin-Sen-Gumi Charity Summer Festival held in August of 2007, which coincided with the 15th anniversary of Shin-Sen-Gumi’s foundation, 100 guests, entertainers and crew were flown in from Japan by the Shin-Sen-Gumi Group. The festival was the most exciting yet. The management, young part-time workers and the entire employee staff turned out to work tirelessly to set up the event, realizing that with everyone working toward the same goal incredible things can be accomplished. To experience this sort of thing at a young age can be an asset in one’s life and a priceless lesson.
Why We Opened “Magokoro” in Japan
Borrowing from the Shin-Sen-Gumi Group slogan of “The Restaurant with the Most Will Power and Sincerity in the World” we named our first restaurant in Japan “Magokoro”, the Japanese word for sincerity. This restaurant would also serve as a place of work for employees who, for some reason or another, have to return to Japan from Los Angeles. Moreover, this restaurant could serve as a starting point for those employees who are wondering what they should do as a career, giving them the future chance to test their mettle in the U.S.