Your Market Doesn't Matter: How David Utterback Built a Sushi Empire in a Landlocked State

Most chefs want more creativity. David Utterback wanted more control.

After 13 years helping grow a sushi brand from one shop to a $175M empire, he walked away to build something of his own. What he learned? Great food is only part of the puzzle. In this episode, David shares how he’s applying big-brand systems to small-scale restaurants, with a relentless focus on profit, precision, and sustainability.

We get into why scaling doesn’t always mean selling more, how he trimmed labor without killing creativity, and the spreadsheet moment that made him rethink growth altogether.

This episode is for those of us who are tired of working harder just to make less, and ready to start running a restaurant like a business.

To learn more about Yoshitomo and his growing group of restaurants, visit yoshitomo.com.

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Today's episode was brought to you by Square. If you want restaurant tech that actually supports how you run your restaurant, find out how Square can help at square.com/goodstuff.

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