Service blueprint for the 100 Yen Sushi House operations.

100 Yen Sushi House is located the Shizuku area of Tokyo in Japan. At the 100 Yen Sushi House,
thirty stools surround a square bar with a conveyor belt that rotates plates of sushi. Expensive
dishes have smaller quantities, but every plate is 100 yen. Four sushi chefs work inside the bar to
produce each 100 yen plate of sushi. Owning a cash register is optional for this establishment, a
patron's bill can be merely determined by counting the number of empty plates they have.
Customers do not have to wait for food because sushi chefs prepare the food within sight. Sushi
is fresh and not refrigerated for future use. The sushi itself is treated as an assembly line product
with each chef adding their own unique touches. The sushi chefs are in close proximity to each
other so they share equipment and their tasks also are highly interrelated. When there is a
problem, employees attempt to prevent it from spreading to other processes. The owner of 100
Yen Sushi House analyzes demand, and orders several fresh fish deliveries a day. He understands
that quality is proactive. The owner also has confidence that his employees take the initiative to
dispose of uneaten Sushi that has been out for a while, to protect the quality of the food. Quality
is a top priority for all employees, clear communication, and the sharing of duties is also very
important. The 100 Yen Sushi House produces and loads the same mix of sushi plates on its
conveyor belt each day. The chefs make no more or no less than what is needed. At 100 Yen Sushi
House, eliminating tables, waiters, ordering, variable pricing, and the wait time associated with
receiving food, increase profits for its owner, and reduces idle time for busy customers.
Service Blue Print 100 Yen Sushi House Operation

1. What features of the 100 Yen Sushi house service delivery system differentiate it from the
competition, and what competitive advantage do they offer?
Features: They have an ellipsoid shaped serving area in the middle of the room where inside
three or four cooks were prepare sushi. They have a conveyor belt going around the ellipsoid
service area like a train track with different plates of sushi. Each plate costs 100 yen. They dont
have a cash register, they cashier just counts how many plates the customer ate and then
multiplies it by 100 yen.
Advantages: Well for starters the owners daily operation is based on carefully analyzed
information. The owner has a complete summary of demand information about different types
of sushi plates, and this he knows exactly how many of each type of sushi plate he should prepare
and when. Its a family owned restaurant that runs efficiently, all the workers are considered
family and they focus strongly on customer service. The store uses the just in time inventory
control system, they have an agreement with the fish vendors to deliver fresh fish several times
a day so their products arrive just in time to be used for sushi making. The owners and workers

are involved in the total operation from greeting the customer to serving what is ordered. The
100 Yen sushi house is based on simplicity and common sense rather than high technology.
2. How has the 100 Yen Sushi House incorporated the just- in-time system into its operation?
100 Yen sushi house is a small family owned business which is highly labor intensive. Very firstly
the just-in-time system has been used in the business by the correct estimation of the demand
of the products in the house which makes it easy for the owner to make the arrangements as per
the demand. Secondly, the whole operation is based on the repetitive manufacturing principle
accompanied by just-in time (JIT) and quality control system.
The application of JIT in the operation can be clearly evidenced by the limited number of
refrigerators in the limited space which shows that the inventory is almost negligible with a JIT
inventory control system. The JIT has been implemented in the system by entering into
agreement with the fish vendor to deliver fresh fish several times a day so that materials arrive
in a just-in time way to be used for sushi making. In addition in the sushi house the workers and
their equipment are placed in such a way that sushi making is passed hand to hand rather than
an independent operation. The absence of walls of inventory allows the owner and workers to
be involved in the total operation, from greeting the customer to serving what is ordered. Their
tasks are tightly interrelated and everyone rushes to a problem spot to prevent the cascading
effect of the problem throughout the work process.
3. Suggest other services that could adopt the 100 Yen Sushi House service delivery concepts.
The 100 Yen Sushi House service delivery concepts is customer service, a contribution to society,
or the well-being of the community. There are many services that could adopt the Sushi service
concepts.
The 100 Yen Sushi house service deliveries can be adopted in other services area which focuses
repetitive type of processes. For example, it can be applied in auto-manufacturing, fast-food,
household appliance etc. Likewise the same concept is also used by fast-food restaurants as
McDonalds and Burger King where relatively few modules like cheese, lettuce, buns, sauces,
pickles, meat patties, French fries make a variety of meals.
In Nepalese context, this delivery concept can be applied in the fast food chain companies like
Sumais Momos, KFC, Pizza Hut etc. Another one areas where 100 yen Sushi House service
delivery system can be adopted is Automated Car Wash Center, which could be the emerging
business in Nepal.

PHYSICAL
EVEDENCE

CUSTOMER
ACTION

Line of Interaction

ON STAGE
CONTACT

Line of Interaction

BACK
STAGE
CONTACT

Line of Interaction

Building

Sitting

Serving Area

Conveyer Belt

Food

Charge

Arrive to
Building

Go and Sit

Receive the
Utencils

Pick Up food

Exit

Checkout

----------------------------------------------------------

Greeting by
Workers

Chefs
Cooking

Cashier

-----------------------------------------------------------

Workers
Putting &
Taking
off food

----------------------------------------------------------Payment

SUPPORT
PROCESS

1. Prepare a service blueprint for the 100 Yen Sushi House operation.
2. What features of the 100 Yen Sushi House service delivery system differentiate it from
the competition, and what competitive advantages do they offer?
3. How has the 100 Yen Sushi House incorporated the just-intime system into its operation?
4. Suggest other services that could adopt the 100 Yen Sushi House service delivery
concepts.
GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING A CASE
No two cases are the same just as no two management situations in real life are the same. Given
that qualification, there are some "better" ways to go about examining an operations management
situation leading to informed and hopefully correct decisions whether they be for class preparation
or in a written report.
Consider these general steps and questions as you tackle a case.
WHO IS THE DECISION MAKER? What is this person's position, what is the decision
confronting them? From their perspective, what are their objectives or major concerns? When
writing up a case you write for this person(s) so know your audience!
SIZE UP THE ORGANIZATION. What product(s) do they make or services do they deliver?
What do their customers expect and competitors offer? What do you have to do well in their
industry? (Key Success Factors (KSF)) What is the company's competitive advantage if any? How
did it arrive at its current situation? (Some history is not worth repeating!) Is it financially sound?
What kind of management is running the company? What is the nature of the process by which
products are made or services delivered? While it is always necessary to spend some time sizing
up the organization in preparing the case, it is not necessary to devote a large amount of space for
it in a written report. The decision maker(s) must be assumed to know what is written in the case.
ANALYSIS - PUT THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE. What is the nature of the problem or opportunity
requiring a decision? What are the causes or sources? Sometimes you have to dig deeper into all
the verbiage of the case and find the real root cause or leverage point for management action. How
good or bad is the situation? How critical is it to the firm's short and long term performance? What
is your evidence? (This may be defined quantitatively and/or qualitatively) What are the specific
problem areas and what is their priority for management? Putting a situation in perspective is
similar to making an argument to motivate a decision maker to take action. Therefore you may
examine the impact of a problem or opportunity on the profitability of a firm, or the severity of its
quality and productivity problems on customer satisfaction. Remember sometimes there is no real
problem (i.e., there is an opportunity to seize an advantage) or what is thought to be the obvious
problem is not.
ALTERNATIVES. Since, you know the situation and what is required of you for future action,
what are the alternatives for action? You may have to look at a number of alternatives for a number

of probable scenarios. Remember that alternatives can be defined by not only what they involve
but by when they are to be done (e.g., wait a year or do it now). It is very important at this stage to
define the criterion that will be used to select an alternative (e.g., ROI, employee satisfaction)?
Prioritize your criterion (e.g., rank or weight them in importance). Your criteria and their priority
should be consistent with the firm's KSF and the requirements of the decision and MAKE A
DECISION AND ACTION PLAN. Pick an alternative and specify the who, when, where, why
and how of implementation. Show you know what it takes to implement your chosen alternative.