Cars and Sushi

If cars and sushi seem like an odd pair to you, read on..

I have recently taken a liking to sushi, a Japanese delicacy. The first couple of times I went to a sushi restaurant, I sat at a regular table and ate rookie items like a California roll and teriyaki chicken. And then a month or so back, I experienced the real thing. All the regular tables were full so we ended up sitting at the sushi bar and for the first time, I ate sushi and sashimi. What an experience it was!

I really enjoyed the sushi and the sashimi - rare food items that are delicious yet super healthy. But equally if not more, I enjoyed watching how the place worked. As a long time student and practitioner of Lean (originally known as the Toyota Production System - Toyota’s revolutionary approach to making great cars), I saw Lean in action at the sushi bar!

1. A simple, open, U shaped layout

The people eating and the people making the sushi can easily see each other making it easy to exchange pleasantries. This layout also makes it possible for the same person that makes the sushi to also serve it. This is not only cost effective but more importantly, it allows the chef to hear and observe customer behavior (what they seem to like, dislike, etc) first hand and instantaneously. He can thus quickly make any needed adjustments to his product based on real-time customer feedback.

2. Just In Time (JIT) production and delivery of food

As soon as the chef sees a plate get picked up by a customer from the sushi boat, he replenishes it. This works as a Kanban signal so the chef knows what to make next based on actual consumption (customer pull) rather than just making something, hoping that the customer will want it and thus run the risk of having it sit and get wasted.

3. A simple and visual pricing system

There are just a handful of prices on the menu each consisting of multiple food items. The serving plate for each price category has a unique design pattern and each item in a given category gets served on a plate with that same design (see picture above). So when you are done eating, all the serving staff has to do is to count the number of empty plates of each design in front of you, multiply them by the price for that category and you have your bill!

These are just a few simple and visual examples of Lean I saw in the quick 30 mins I spent at the sushi bar. If I had gone into the kitchen and the back office, I would have surely see more Lean principles in action.

Whether they are making cars or sushi, you can count on the Japanese to figure out how to do things with simplicity, efficiency and quality!