With an unwavering enthusiasm for Japanese shabu dining, Thana Thienachariya, the former chief marketing officer of Siam Commercial Bank, has just unveiled his own shabu restaurant at Erawan Bangkok.
Mr Thana and a trio of friends with extensive experience in the culinary business recently established Shabudoke Co to operate a shabu restaurant.
The trio comprises chef Tan Kraisornkittikul, acclaimed as a beef master, Ben Na Nakorn, the owner of dining establishments like Menya Itto and 35 Dry Aged Beef Ginza Tenharu, and Jirath Pavaravadhana, affiliated with Independent Artist Management Co.
"Running a shabu restaurant has been one of the cherished aspirations I've held throughout my life. After a decade of discussions with family and friends, the opportune moment has finally arrived," said Mr Thana.
In pursuit of this dream, he said an investment of 8 million baht has been channelled by the joint venture company into Shabu Nashi restaurant, situated on the ground floor of Erawan Bangkok.
The restaurant, which has a seating capacity of 30, presents an array of offerings with prices ranging from 850 to 2,000 baht per beef set, and 650 baht for a pork set. The establishment operates in four distinct sessions daily, excluding Mondays.
"Shabu Nashi is the fulfilment of my passion. During every visit to Japan, our must-stop culinary destination was Shabusen in Tokyo's Ginza district," said Mr Thana.
In spite of the competitive landscape within the shabu segment, Mr Thana said consumer interest remains steady, evident in the continual emergence of new shabu establishments.
"We are confident in the resilience of our venture because Shabu Nashi offers a premium shabu dining experience. Our unique offerings, reminiscent of the exquisite flavours and quality found at Shabusen in Japan, is unparalleled in Thailand. Within two weeks since our opening, many customers have revisited our restaurant. This is a very good sign," Mr Thana said.
According to the latest market survey by the Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro), the number of Japanese eateries in Thailand rose by more than 20% last year and they are poised to continue to dominate the market, outpacing other foreign peers.
The number of Japanese restaurants in Thailand in 2022 increased by 21.9% or 955 from the year before to 5,325, the highest growth in 15 years.
The number of Japanese dining places in Bangkok's surrounding provinces and other provinces, in particular, posted remarkable growth.
According to Jetro, the number of Japanese restaurants in Bangkok in 2022 increased to 2,394 from 2,073 the previous year.
In provincial areas, the number rose to 2,931 restaurants from 2,297 in 2021.
Of the total, 1,431 were sushi restaurants and 1,273 were restaurants that offer a wide variety of dishes. The remainder were ramen, suki/shabu, izakaya, yakiniku/BBQ, cafes, donburi, curry and others.
Ramen and izakaya were the top two categories with the highest percentage growth in 2022, while teppanyaki and okonomiyaki saw the lowest growth of outlets.