For the love of sushi: Mikuni Celebrates 35 years

What started as a family dream over three decades ago is now reaching a milestone. Mikuni is celebrating 35 years in the region this month. The Granite Bay man behind the iconic sushi bar since he was a teenager, Taro Arai, is still going full throttle, continually expanding his family legacy as the company's CDO, as in "Chief Dreaming Officer." "My goal has been to have 50 locations by our 50th anniversary of Mikuni," said Arai. "We have 15 years to go, so we better hurry up!" Today, Mikuni has a total of nine locations, which includes its original location in Fair Oaks, two Roseville locations, one of which just expanded in The Fountains. They have additional locations in Midtown Sacramento, the Arden area of Sacramento, Davis, Concord, Elk Grove and Folsom. The success and growth of Mikuni is living proof that dreams do come true. It also illustrates that dreams can come true over and over, with dedication, a great team and commitment. For the Arai family, their dream came true and much of it was due to what Arai describes as a "true miracle." After moving here from Japan, the family had just $2,000 to their name, which was a drop in the bucket compared to what was needed to open a successful restaurant. By means of a total stranger, the Arai family was gifted the start-up money they needed and the rest is history. "My dad had a dream of opening a restaurant but we only had $2,000 in our bank account. We met a guy on the street who gave us $300,000," Arai said. "We never knew who he was and he didn't want to be known; he just wanted to help. It made me believe in miracles and I still do today." The first Mikuni opened on Hazel Avenue in Fair Oaks in 1987 where it continues today. However, it was not an instant success, as Arai explained. "Not at all for the first several five or so years. We lost a lot of money right away and we struggled," he said. "When we opened, I was only 17 and my parents didn't speak English. My dad turned to me and said, 'You're going to run this.'" As Mikuni's popularity began to grow, so did its footprint in the region. They opened a second store in Roseville. Then came another and another and the rest is history. "In the beginning, my dad asked me to quit school," Arai said. "He just kept dreaming. One day, we were having 30 customers and he told me, 'I have a dream of having 1,000 customers a day.' I told him he was losing his mind. But now, we serve 1.8 million customers each year between our nine restaurants." If you peruse a Mikuni menu, you will see a number of rolls named after a community or particular person in the community. Many rolls have been named by customers. One such roll that continues to be special 35 years later is the Fair Oaks roll, one of the early creations that Arai said helped them succeed. "The Fair Oaks roll was the ninth of 300 rolls I originally created and I broke every rule of sushi," Arai said. "We had a new kitchen chef that kept breaking the shrimp tempura. So instead of throwing it away, I said let's put it in a roll and serve it and it became the biggest hit. So we named it after where we were, Fair Oaks." Thirty-five years later, the Arai family is planning to celebrate their success with a population of people who have supported them like nobody else, the community. Earlier this week, they hosted a 35-year-celebration for their top "Koki Club" members, which is the company's very own loyalty program which culminated with the giving away of a new car to a lucky winner. "I could not believe the response we got so quickly to our anniversary; it was amazing and overwhelming," said Arai. Mikuni customers can be defined with the word loyal. From the beginning, it was the support and the loyalty of customers that made a dream come true and continue to do so. Arai is grateful for so many great "blessings" as he describes them. "We have been blessed, truly blessed," he said. "I am just so appreciative of God for this opportunity and all of the customers in the region for helping us. The customers have helped us do so many great things." One of the traits that the Arai family and the entire Mikuni organization strive and thrive upon is making sure guests want to have an extraordinary experience. When it comes to dining out for sushi, the experience is just as important as is the quality of food. For his family, both of those qualities are always a top priority. "Mikuni means kingdom from God," Arai said. "My dad always dreamed about making people feel like they are in heaven and having heavenly food." Making and serving heavenly food is exactly what Mikuni does, offering a great atmosphere and experience right along with it. When you walk into a Mikuni restaurant, you will be instantly welcomed by every employee you cross paths with. Arai is not an exception to this. During his interview for this story, Arai paused several times to talk with customers who recognized him. He even took a moment to join a young child who came up and asked if she could have a selfie with him. "I want our customers to feel welcome," Arai said. "I want them to enjoy and have a good experience, not just eating food." In 2020, the "experience" side of serving customers became a challenge for Mikuni, as it did for most restaurants across the country. As dining rooms were shuttered, meals to go are all they could offer so, like others, Mikuni had to rely on the quality of the food. "It was when all of that happened, I realized just how blessed we are in our communities as so many people supported us," said Arai. "We have a strong 'orders to go' clientele but it never compared to our dining-in success. During that time, I could not believe how many of our customers showed their support. We did not have to lay off any employees and we got through it, thanks to a generous, loving and loyal community." When it comes to generosity, Arai ranks right in there with his loyal customers. He and his family are known for generously giving back to the community year after year. Many times, a unique sushi roll has been launched to support a local cause or an urgent need. From breast cancer research to fire victims, helping victims of war or earthquakes across the country and others, Mikuni has donated millions of dollars to countless good causes through the years and they don't plan on stopping anytime soon. "To be able to make a difference in the community, I wouldn't be able to do it without all of my customers," Arai said. "Doing something to help others is what I love most about it. None of us are eternal; we won't always be here so it is important to give back and help others however we can." While Arai recognizes none of us are eternal, he has put together the components to be sure Mikuni will carry on through the generations. Today, his children are all involved in the restaurant one way or another. Koki is the general manager of the Elk Grove location. His son, AJ, is a financial advisor on his own but is also one of Mikuni's catering chefs. His daughter, Chisay, is a Realtor full time and assists with properties for the current locations, as well as filling a role as a catering chef. Daughter, Chiyoh, is now in marketing at the corporate office, which means she has to keep up with her forward-thinking, innovative father each and every day. "He keeps us on our toes, that's for sure," said Chiyoh, who got a business degree in college before she returned to work for the family. "I went off and did my own thing at first because I wanted to earn my way like he did. He is the greatest boss anyone could ask for." Taro's nieces and nephews are also part of the operations and the future of Mikuni. Youki is the operations manager of their Concord location; OA, Kaikey and Shawseki are all chefs in different locations. While he explained the name Mikuni means "kingdom of God," Arai also has broken down the company brand to have its very own meaning that applies to what they are all about, from the dining room to the kitchen. M: Motivate ourselves. I: Inspire each other. K: Kaizen ourselves in every way. U: United as one. N: Never stop dreaming. I: Increase (God's) love. As for what the future holds, Arai continues to dream daily and keeps busy chasing those dreams. He hopes to have more locations in the Bay Area and ultimately, one in Hawaii. "Hawaii, that is the ultimate dream location I have," said Arai. "We might have to make that the 50th location; then I guess I could retire there." When he isn't assisting at his corporate office or at a Mikuni location, Arai spends a lot of time with his family as well as traveling local and afar. During those trips, Arai mixes plenty of leisure and business, making sure he stays connected with those in many communities. "I go golfing with my customers; I go to different locations to talk to my wine vendors and talk over glasses of wine. I love my job," he said. "When I was 19 was when I really had it the hardest and a customer told me, 'They knew I was doing my best but it's not always what you know, it's who you know.'" From that day forward, Arai took that customer's advice to heart and continues to follow it today. "You do whatever you can and God will do the rest. I'm just going to do my best and the rest is up to God," Arai said. "And I've never had a bad day since. I'm loving it."