SET-listed Oishi Group Plc has added a new restaurant brand to serve consumer demand for Japanese food.
Paisarn Aowsathaporn, executive vice-president for food, said the group recently launched Oishi Eaterium aimed at families and young adults.
The company spent 20-25 million baht to open the first Oishi Eaterium outlet, measuring 600 square metres, at CentralPlaza Grand Rama IX.
Oishi Eaterium is the new restaurant brand launched after the restructuring of the Shabushi brand in July this year.
The new restaurant is decorated and presented in a different ambience from the usual buffet style, with 10 sidewalk food shops in several zones.
Oishi Eaterium has 260 seats and is priced at 659 baht per person, between the price range of Oishi Grand and Oishi Buffet.
About 600-1,000 customers visit the new restaurant per day.
"Oishi Eaterium offers customers a new way to eat Japanese food in the digital 4.0 era, serving products in an unexpected form to meet fierce competition and the diverse demands of the new consumer lifestyle," Mr Paisarn said.
Apart from the Oishi Eaterium brand, the company plans to revamp the remaining five existing Japanese restaurants brands -- Oishi Grand, Oishi Buffet, Oishi Ramen, Nikuya and Kakashi -- within fiscal 2017, ending Sept 30, 2018.
There are 126 Shabushi restaurants, followed by 51 Oishi Ramen branches, 24 Kakashi outlets, 18 Nikuya eateries and 17 Oishi Buffet branches.
"The brand restructuring will make the image of all Japanese restaurants under Oishi Group more modern and different from that of our rivals," he said.
Mr Paisarn said the company plans to allocate 241 million baht to expand its business in fiscal 2017.
The budget will be used to open 15 new Japanese restaurants next year, focusing on the Shabushi brand.
The company will convert two Oishi Buffet restaurants in Bangkok to Oishi Eaterium branches next year and also plans to open new Oishi Eaterium restaurants in the provinces as well.
All three Oishi Eaterium restaurants to be opened next year will require an investment bugdet of 60-75 million baht.
Mr Paisarn said the company is optimistic about the business potential of Japanese restaurants in Thailand.
However, competition in Thailand's food market, which is estimated to be worth 385 billion baht this year, will be fiercer because of the continuing parade of new international food brands.
"As the global economy is still slow in some regions, especially Europe, foreign food brands will penetrate Asia, particularly Thailand as it is a very promising market," he said.
OISHI shares closed yesterday on the Stock Exchange of Thailand at 125.50 baht, down one baht, in trade worth 1.38 million baht.