Unveiled on Valentine's Day of 2017, KOJO Penticton quickly became a favourite amongst local sushi aficianados. Today, one only needs check the online review sites to see that it still consistently ranks at or near the top in terms of both popularity and customer ratings.
It is, however, a bit of a loner, sitting way down there on Skaha Lake Road in the south of the city. And while that's great news for those in the area, KOJO is far from the downtown core and the population base that surrounds it.
But come this July -- likely late in the month -- residents in Penticton's north will get a whopping big taste of that KOJO magic right in their own neighbourhood when owner Tatsuo Kan opens his latest sushi restaurant, "KOYA Penticton," a block from Okanagan Lake Beach on Winnipeg Street.
Those who know the area will recognize the location -- the ground floor of 93 Winnipeg St. -- as the former home of Hideaway Bakery & Café. But Hideaway is now gone and in its place is the construction zone that will soon be KOYA.
And Tatsuo Kan, who prefers to be called "Kan," couldn't be happier. His latest venture, coming less than two years on the heels of a West Kelowna expansion in late 2019, is something he's pondered for quite some time.
"From day one (at KOJO), we were busy," he said yesterday while on the patio of his evolving eatery. "I thought it would be just a few days because everyone wants to try the new restaurant in town. But it didn't stop. I thought it would be just a few weeks. But it didn't stop.
"I was happy of course, but every day was tough because I was working 70 hours a week."
Kan eventually hired more employees. Many came from his home country of Japan because, he says, "nobody from here came to apply for the job."
Eventually, Kan had more than enough employees. Too many, as it turned out, for Penticton winters when business is slower.
"So I asked who wanted to stay and who wanted to quit. And nobody wanted to quit. So we started thinking of a food truck that would help us divide the staff. And then when COVID hit, instead of being quiet, we got busier."
When Kan got a call a month ago from the new landlord at 93 Winnipeg, he knew what he had to do.
"She said she loved KOJO, but was sad that it was at the other end of the city. She gave us a very good deal."
We asked Kan if he'd divulge the secret to KOJO's success. And we quickly realized it was no overnight thing.
A sushi chef by trade, Kan ran a catering company in Tokyo for eight years, where he says he worked "24/7." The responsibilities ultimately impacted his home life, so the decision was made to change up their environment.
Kan and family came to Canada in 2014, where he took a two-year position, in support of his immigration visa, with a Vancouver business that owned a quartet of Japanese restaurants on plush Robson Street. He essentially taught restaurant managers how to run their establishments.
When the two years were up, Kan and family, not big fans of big city life, began scouting around for alternatives.
They eventually found a home in Summerland, where he plunked "all his savings" into a big downpayment.
"When we saw Summerland and Penticton," he said, "we just knew it was for us."
Kan then sized up the Penticton restaurant scene and saw it had eight sushi restaurants.
"But I felt something," he smiled. "I thought I could do it a bit differently. I felt my business background would be a big asset here."
"From the start, we focused on the concept of 'your kitchen.' We're not high-end, we're not junk food, not fast food, we're in the middle. We're homey. We're simple and we're fast. We don’t even have a dessert."
"We have morning meetings every day where we go over the three keys to the 'KOJO spirit.' Energize, impress, connection. We want to hear 'wow.' We want that connection."
More than smart business though, Kan says he has a deep knowledge of tastes and ingredients and "a lot of connections."
"For example, we don't use white sugar," he explained. "We use only cane sugar, and honey. And also, some of our ingredients are directly from Japan."
Kan sees his new location, on the edge of the city's hot new food and beverage zone and darned close to the lake, as a positive.
"It's amazing what's happened in this area," he said. "And I don't think we'll be their competition. Our food is more like healthy, fast, eat and go.
"And we're not focusing on the tourists too much. We just want to make our customers happy. So many of them drove to the other end of the city. We want to connect with the locals."
According to Kan, 60% of the KOYA menu will be pulled directly from the delightfully simplistic KOJO menu. He names off staples like poke bowls, ramen, rice bowls, and rolls such as California, dynamite, teriyaki chicken and spicy tuna.
A brand new item that's currently being tested at KOJO and will be a KOYA highlight is something called the "sushi burrito." Kan says it's basically a long roll wrapped in soy paper as opposed to seaweed to help it from falling apart and to make it easier to chew.
"I have four kids now," said Kan. "And whenever we go somewhere, they're always saying, 'I'm hungry.' We don't want a sushi roll in the car, we want something you can stick in your mouth…easy."
And that, in summation, is what KOYA's all about. Easy. Kan wants to focus on people who are busy but still want to eat healthy. He wants people who live alone in the area to treat the place as they would their own kitchen. He wants folks to know KOYA's online ordering and takeout system is second to none.
Still, those who want to enjoy an evening out can do that too. KOYA will seat 20 people inside and another 20 out. And it'll feature stuff like beer, wine, sake and apple cider, and a "secret menu" where customers can ask for items like sashimi.
Once open in late July, KOYA Penticton's hours will be 11 am to 8 pm Tuesday through Saturday. Doors will be closed Sunday and Monday.
The website is not yet operational, though interested parties can always turn to the KOJO website to get a feel for the KOYA menu and style.
