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Company Profile

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To become the leading global restaurant company in Asia.

Hiroaki Kouno [Managing Director & COO]

Company Characteristics and Future Business Development

Our company focuses strongly on global brand strategy and human resource development. Today, we operate 10 brands totaling 130 restaurants in 10 areas worldwide, mainly of which are in Asia. We expand our original concepts like shabu shabu overseas and bring back world's leading concepts to Japan.

Our Future Business Plan: Domestically, we will continue to operate our original brands and licensed oversea brands mainly in Tokyo and Osaka. Internationally we will export our original brands and products. In addition, we have launched our home dining business which will enable customers to enjoy our brands at home. We are aiming at being a global restaurant company that delivers high quality dining culture both domestically and overseas by strengthening these three elements.

High Quality and Unique Brands

Our concept regarding brands focuses on expanding long-lasting distinctive brands, not following trends. Specifically, we want to expand highly specialized high quality brands that can provide a unique experience. For example, Barbacoa is a large-scale restaurant. unique in Japan, offering the same quality food and service from the original restaurant by inviting the staff from Brazil. Barbacoa provides a truly unique experience with the salad bar offering more than 30 fresh vegetables and side dishes and the churrasco style serving more than 10 kinds of meat cut at each table. Offering unique experience with specialty and quality, is our style of brand at Wondertable.

Our Staff Philosophy

We do not hire people just by their knowledge and experience in the food and beverage business. We seek human resources that aim to become professionals who can enjoy eating and drinking with curiosity. Based on that, we put importance on two aspects. One is to be a KaShiKoI (wise in Japanese) person. This does not necessarily mean an actually wise person but a person who demonstrates gratefulness (Kansha), kindness (Shinsetsu), and curiosity (Kokishin), as well as a liking for eating and drinking (Inshokuzuki). Our company calls these elements "the seeds of hospitality."

The other is to be in commune with our corporate vision. The vision is comprised of three elements: objectives (why), future image (where), and values (how). In order to circulate the vision in all our employees, a message is delivered once every week. In addition, one-on-one meetings are held at each department to build a relationship of trust between management level and team members. Through those dialogs and other dialogs based on the vision, including dialogs on training and evaluations, we are working on the development of human resources that can act with common values.

Corporate Vision

PURPOSE

Offer unlimited dining experience to broaden and strengthen bonds (through gathering).

Our company name reflects our desire for joyful dining, which may be expressed by something like "a table filled with excitement as you eat and drink with your loved ones around it." We will create restaurants that are your first choice when you want to satisfy your hunger but also spend a happy time with your loved ones.

Even during the Great East Japan Earthquake, we have continued our expansion of joyful dining around the world. And during Covid, we have expanded our business to home dining. We will continue our services in various situations of the world so that more customers can deepen bonds with their loved ones. We hope to be a part in creating a society of Well-Being.

PICTURES

Support and cheer employees to grasp their dream

We will be a company that can cheer and support employees who take on challenges for their own dreams. Because dreams inspire ourselves and drive our growth. Their dreams are not necessarily limited to work. We respect each employees "I have a dream". We believe, advancements of our employee, link to advancement of Wondertable as a company.

All stores carry a charm to attract and grab the hearts of upper middle class

We will be a company that has the charm to attract and grab the hearts of the upper-middle-class people. The charm here refers to both our brands and our personnel. Particularly focusing on the private needs arising from the upper middle class, we will be a company with brands that are the first choice when those people want to enjoy joyful dining with their loved ones.

WIN–WIN relationship established with oversea partners and important clients

We will be a company that forms strong bonds with important partners. Our main partners are oversea partners and important clients. We can develop win-win relationships by exchanging thoughts through thorough communication, thus building trust and inspiring each other to achieve contributions to society that may be impossible for a single company.

VALUES

Make the right decisions

We will make the right decisions putting what is right first, not being driven by profits and self-interest. As an individual engaged in food business, we will give top priority to safety and hygiene. We will be aware of being a member of society, following rules, and taking responsibility of our own actions. We will promise fair and honest behavior by asking ourselves if there is anything we should be ashamed of as human beings on a routine basis.

Act and lead

We will be proactive on our own initiative. We will decide on everything with a sense of responsibility. We will immediately implement what our organization and teams decide as our own affairs, not as other people's affairs. We will promise to act and lead with our own opinions and ideas and accomplish everything to the end in a responsible manner.

Challenge to build on

We will be always creative for continued improvement in order to achieve our goal. We understand that not all tasks or products can always be perfect, and so it is important to continue improvement at all times. We will never overlook new findings by always questioning ourselves "Why". We promise to keep on polishing ourselves until we find the answer and put it in action.

Honor and respect others

We will sincerely take in opinions that are different from ours. Not speaking only of our own opinions, but hear others as well. We will put our feet in the other persons perspective and understand the difference to propose a synergetic idea. We respect different opinions and through continuous discussions we promise to create a strong trust.

Never forget to enjoy

We will remember to have fun not only in our private lives but also during work. To have fun, we think physical and mental health conditions are indispensable; so we will live with self-discipline. We will have high motivation with ambitious dreams, and keep on trying to capture our goals and mature ourselves. We promise to work with enthusiasm and positive mind to fully enjoy our lives.

Company Profile

Company Name Wondertable, Ltd.
Head Office Tokyo Opera City Tower 22F 3-20-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan 163-1422
TEL: +81 (0)3-3379-8050
Fax: +81 (0)3-3379-8055
URL https://www.wondertable.com/
Capital 50 million yen
Establishment July 30, 1946
Business activities Restaurant business management
Recruitment of/guidance for restaurant franchisees under a franchise chain system
Board members 【Chairman & CEO】
Michio Akimoto
【President & COO】
Hiroaki Kouno
【Vice President & COO】
Takeshi Yoshida
【Directors】
Yoshitaka Hayashi
Keisuke Ogawa
Shiro Toda
Maki Okamura

History

A forerunner of Wondertable was a fishery company established just after the end of the World War II. Then, the company changed its business to operate ocean-going vessels as a shipping company. However, as economy changed we saw less opportunity in shipping business and in 1991, strengthened ties with the Humax Group. This opened doors for opportunity to expand into the food and beverage business as an alternative to the shipping business.

Thereafter the company creates and operates new concepts and through system development, organizational structure changes and further staff educations we promote the food industry as a whole. In October 2000, we completely withdrew from the shipping business and changed its company name to Wondertable, Ltd., transforming into a food and beverage business company in both name and reality.

July 1946 Established as a fishery department of Mitsui Steamship Co., Ltd.
August 1953 Changed the company name to Fujikisen Co., Ltd.
March 1991 Ended the affiliation to Mitsui O. S. K. Lines Ltd. to become an affiliate of the Humax Group.
March 1994 Entered into food and beverage business.
July 2000 Merged with Humax Heart Co., Ltd.
October 2000 Changed the company name to Wondertable, Ltd. to specialize in food and beverage business, withdrawing from the shipping business.
April 2002 Yoshitaka Hayashi assumed the office President & CEO.
June 2012 Yoshitaka Hayashi assumed the office of Chairman.
Michio Akimoto assumed the office of President & CEO.
June 2023 Michio Akimoto assumed the office of Chairman.
Hiroaki Kouno assumed the office of President & CEO.

Business introduction

Dining business

Our dining business manages restaurant operation. We operate our own brands, as Mo-Mo-Paradise, a specialty restaurant of shabu-shabu and sukiyaki, and the beer restaurant Yona Yona Beer Works, while running invited overseas brands, including the New York American cuisine restaurant Union Square Tokyo, the churrasco restaurant Barbacoa, the prime rib restaurant Lawry's The Prime Rib, and the steak restaurant Peter Luger Steak House from Brooklyn, New York that has been in business for 130 years.

Overseas business

Our overseas business recruit and trains restaurant franchisees under a franchise chain system. In 1997, we established a joint venture company in Taiwan and opened the Italian restaurant Bellini Caffe. Then, we opened the first overseas franchisee of Mo-Mo-Paradise in Taipei. To date, we have entered into franchise agreements in many countries and are running more than 10 brands at about 90 locations in nine areas worldwide, mainly in Asia.

Home dining business

Our home dining business operates online shops with brands we operate in Japan, as well as delivery-only specialty shops. As the first delivery-only specialty brand, we started Tankaku Burger, a Japanese "Tankaku" specialty shop. To date, we handle more than six brands.

Percentage of mid-career employment

Adoption year Hiring ratio
2020 15.3%
2021 60.1%
2022 85.1%

*As of April 1, 2023/Published as of June 1, 2023

Promotion of women's success

Achievements regarding job satisfaction

Percentage of female workers among hired workers

Full-time employee: 22.9%

Part-time job: 53.8%

Overall: 52.8%

Percentage of female workers among workers

Full-time employee: 18.9%

Part-time job: 53.8%

Overall: 49.4%

Percentage of female workers in managerial positions

7.8% (8 people)

Track record of rehiring or mid-career recruitment by gender

Male: 53 people / Female: 9 people

Wage difference between men and women

Full-time employee: 80%

Part-time job: 68.8%

Total: 52.2%

*The wage difference between men and women excludes commuting costs, etc.
* Regarding the number of part-time workers, the average annual wage is calculated based on the number of workers converted to the average scheduled working hours of full-time employees (173.75 hours per month).

Track record regarding ease of working

Difference in average years of continuous employment between men and women

Male: 10.2 years / Female: 5.1 years

Track record of rehiring or mid-career recruitment by gender

Male: 53 people / Female: 9 people

Average overtime hours of workers per month

A. Full-time employee: 26.7 hours
B. Part-time job: 1.29 hours
C. Overall: 4.6 hours

Data collection point As of March 2023
Business year April 1, 2022 - March 31, 2023
General business owner action plan based on the Act on Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace Action plan publication date: September 30, 2016 Action plan update date: April 1, 2021
Action plan PDF

Percentage of men taking childcare leave

twenty five%

*Data collection time: As of March 2023

Affiliated companies