Ginger Sushi Boutique Franchise Review: Jimmy Bean

Sushi Shop franchise owner opens up about how he went from international trade law to becoming a multi-unit owner with a revolutionary brand

The $3 billion American sushi industry is due for a radical update. Everywhere you go as a consumer, you’re confronted with the same bland and derivative rolls — whether you’re in a high-end sushi restaurant or your local supermarket. This world of sameness ends with Ginger Sushi Boutique™.

While new to the United States, Ginger Sushi Boutique is known as Sushi Shop™ in Canada, where it has become one of the largest sushi brands, with more than 150 locations across Canada. The brand has become beloved for infusing sushi culture with an innovative, genre-bending sensibility. Beyond sushi, the rest of the menu is bursting with the same spirit of joy, such as in the brand’s Poke Bowls, which provide an easier way for sushi newbies to expand their horizons.

Such a radically different approach to sushi is proving to be a striking opportunity for entrepreneurs who want to expand and enhance the sushi experience in their communities. This is how Jimmy Bean, once a lawyer specializing in international trade law, came to own a franchise restaurant with Sushi Shop.

“I’ve been a part of Sushi Shop for 11 years,” Bean says. “I own and operate my own store in Montreal, Canada. Being a big sushi eater, I went to a Sushi Shop, ordered a couple of rolls and went home — and I was sold after that. The quality was so there, compared to another sushi restaurant, and the overall experience in the shop had me at hello.”

Having been in international trade law for a decade, Bean had no sushi experience before opening his store. This lack of experience in making sushi is shared by almost all of the Sushi Shop and Ginger Sushi Boutique franchise family. The brand counters this by offering one of the most comprehensive training platforms in the industry.

As a new franchisee, you will be sent to an operating restaurant for four weeks of immersive training. You will learn how to prepare and serve our products, including how to hand-roll our brand’s sushi. You will work in every role in the restaurant — you will learn how to greet customers, how to use the POS system, how to take inventory and how to manage a crew. By the end of your training experience, you will be ready to open your restaurant.

“Because I didn’t have the experience, I relied on the good support that the franchise offers to new franchisees,” Bean says. “Anyone who wants to go through the process can learn to do all of these things.”

The reason Sushi Shop “had Bean at hello” is that the menu is unique in the sushi industry. Our brand’s creations seek to blend art with new and exciting flavor profiles. The Blossom Collection™ artfully shapes rolls such as our Teriyaki Salmon and Salmon Truffle into bursting petal designs. The Temari Collection literally rolls exciting flavor profiles such as Tuna Tataki and Crispy Lobster into delicious, bite-sized balls.

Where else but a Ginger Sushi Boutique can you get such genre-bending products as Sushi Pizza, Sushi Burritos, Sushi Tacos and more?

“What I love most about this business is that the menu is so vast and so diverse,” Bean says. “As an owner, we have the opportunity to get new clientele by appealing to customers with different lifestyles and dietary restrictions. We can appeal to vegetarians and vegans, as well as those who have never tried sushi before and prefer something cooked, and we have items on our menu that cater specifically to their preferences. You can custom-tailor products to suit customers’ needs, so we’re providing a lot of choices for customers to experience new things.”

To learn more about Bean’s journey from a lawyer to a sushi franchise owner, watch the video below:

Learn more about Ginger Sushi Boutique franchise

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