‘I want people to be able to enjoy sushi on a regular day’: How automation and scale makes affordable plates possible

It is mid-afternoon at a sushi restaurant in West Mall, long after the lunch rush. Yet, the tables at Sushi Express are still filled with diners, tucking into late lunches amid a lively atmosphere.
 
Students, office workers and families help themselves to plates of sushi which glide past on the conveyor belt. It is a simple moment that reflects the brand’s appeal – sushi within reach for everyday diners.

For managing director Nathaniel Kwek, this affordability was exactly what he set out to achieve when

Sushi Express

first launched in 2011. “I think everyone who loves sushi should be able to enjoy it on any regular day, not just on special occasions or when we feel like we can afford to splurge,” he says. 

Today, that vision has grown into a network of 38 locations across Singapore – 20 Sushi Express outlets, 15 Sushi Gogo takeaway kiosks and three Sushi Plus restaurants where dishes are delivered to each customer via miniature shinkansen trains. Together, these outlets serve over 17.5 million plates annually.

From property to plates

After several years building a career in engineering and real estate, Mr Kwek was eager for a new challenge. On a trip to Taiwan in 2010, he dined at a Sushi Express outlet and was impressed by how accessible sushi was for ordinary people. The experience sparked an idea: Why not bring the same concept to diners in Singapore?

“I wanted to do for Japanese cuisine what fast food chains did for Western food,” he recalls. “Bringing sushi to the masses felt like an idea that could work – it’s quick, wholesome food that doesn’t feel or taste like traditional fast food.” 
 
At the time, most sushi restaurants in Singapore were high-end establishments, leaving a gap for casual dining. Seizing the opportunity, Mr Kwek opened the first Sushi Express outlet at CityLink Mall in 2011, drawing on his property experience to secure a site with strong footfall, balanced tenant mix and long-term potential. 

Targeting the city crowd first was a “make-or-break decision” that paid off. Steady lunchtime queues paved the way for an expansion plan he calls “diamond strategy” – extending into the four corners of Singapore, from Tampines to Woodlands to Jurong.

Within eight years, Sushi Express grew from one outlet to more than 20, earning a spot among Singapore’s Fastest Growing 50 Companies in 2016. 

“Good locations bring people in,” Mr Kwek says. “But what keeps them coming back is knowing they’re getting value for what they pay.” 

Serving quality at scale 

When Sushi Express launched, each plate cost $1.80. It was then eventually revised to a starting price of $1.50 to let customers enjoy more value. From the onset, Mr Kwek made it clear that value would never come at the expense of standards. 

With over 660 outlets worldwide, Sushi Express’s global scale allows its Singapore outlets to benefit from premium sourcing built on long-term supplier partnerships and regional bulk purchasing. This includes the purchase of Norwegian salmon from reputable fisheries, which is air-flown to Singapore and distributed under strict temperature controls. 

In Singapore, all 38 outlets are company-owned rather than franchised, giving the team full control over quality, pricing and daily operations. 

“Scale gives us access to better suppliers while local ownership ensures consistency across outlets,” Mr Kwek explains. “It’s how we maintain quality while keeping prices affordable.”

Simplifying the systems

Behind the familiar conveyor belt lies a set of streamlined systems designed to keep Sushi Express running smoothly. 

This focus on simplicity runs through its Singapore model – fixed prices, no menu and a largely self-service format. 

Still, Mr Kwek keeps refining the process. “The engineer in me is always looking for ways to make operations even more efficient,” he says.  

Automation plays a key role. Sushi rice and maki machines speed up food preparation, while uniform-sized plates streamline cleaning through automated dishwashers. 

Each outlet runs with a lean team of employees. With manpower a constant challenge in the food and beverage (F&B) industry, Sushi Express focuses on staff training, morale and retention to develop and nuture a motivated and skilled team.  

Sushi Express constantly conducts training and invests in staff well-being through career enhancement, performance rewards and health benefits.

“For us, it’s not just about filling roles,” says Mr Kwek. “It’s about building a team that shares the same values and pride in their work.” 

Paired with scale, these systems keep standards consistent, prices accessible and operations flexible enough to roll out seasonal promotions featuring premium ingredients. 

Its current Luxury from Sea & Land campaign features items like Grilled Wagyu with Ikura, Grilled Wagyu with Scallops, Aka Ebi with Foie Gras and Aburi Salmon with Wagyu, at just $3++ a plate. 

“In F&B, it’s never one single factor that makes a business sustainable,” Mr Kwek reflects. “For us, it’s scale and systems working together seamlessly.” 

Driven by detail

Sushi Express continues to grow cautiously. “Singapore is a small but sophisticated market,” says Mr Kwek. “It’s not simply about opening more stores but doing better with what we have.” 

The push to keep improving keeps him hands-on. He still visits outlets to make sure that even the smallest touches meets Sushi Express’s standards – from how the pickled radish is plated to how the lights should be adjusted to set the right mood, to even whether the plastic plate covers gleam as they should.

He even checks the outlet’s clock against his watch, verifying they are in sync to ensure precise adherence to every process.

He admits he can never switch off from the business. “Even when I’m exercising, I’ll catch myself thinking about how to make things run smoother,” he says with a laugh.   

As Sushi Express marks its 15th anniversary in Singapore next year, alongside the group’s 30th globally, he remains focused on improving operations and customer experience. 

For Mr Kwek, the queues at his outlets are proof of how far the company has come. 

“When I was a student, sushi was my reward for doing well,” he says with a smile. “Today, it’s something everyone can enjoy – simple, good food made for everyday life.”  

Find out more about Sushi Express’s current promotions and its outlet locations here.