St Pierre's Sushi

St Pierre's Sushi is a New Zealand-based sushi restaurant chain that was established in 1993 as a partnership between New Zealand businessman Nick Katsouli and Yoshiharu Takagi of the Tokyo Mutual Trading Company.[1][2] By 2023, the chain had 70 stores across New Zealand.[3]

History

St Pierre's Sushi originated as a delicatessen and seafood store in Wellington in 1984 run by Nick Katsouli and his two brothers.[2][4] The restaurant's name St Pierre was derived from the French name for the New Zealand fish John Dory, and also refers to St Peter, the patron saint of fishermen. In 1992, St Pierre's began selling sushi.[2] In 1993 St Pierres's owner Nick Katsouli formed a partnership with the Japanese food exporter, The Tokyo Mutual Trading Company, to obtain cooking condiments and seafood products for producing sushi.[2][1]

According to academics Rumi Sakamoto and Matthew Allen, St Pierre's provided a template for the emergence of "Kiwi standard sushi" by marketing sushi as a "healthy, value-for-money lunch option able to compete with other ethnic food court options" and hiring Asian staff members who could pass as Japanese. The chain also benefited from changes to New Zealand's immigration legislation in 1987 which saw an increase in Asian immigration.[5]

Between 1993 and 2000, St Pierre's established sushi restaurants in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland.[2] By November 2008, St Pierre's had established 28 stores in the major centres of New Zealand. That same month, the sushi chain opened a store in Ponsonby.[1]

By December 2016, St Pierre's had opened a store in New Plymouth, creating 10-12 new jobs.[6] In February 2018, the sushi chain announced plans to open a drive-through restaurant in Auckland by the end of the year.[4] In November 2019, St Pierre's opened a store in Invercargill.[7]

In March 2024, St Pierre's confirmed plans to launch a second drive-through restaurant in Hastings.[8] In November 2024, the sushi chain opened its first store in Dunedin.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c Kiong, Errol (12 November 2008). "Chicken sushi conquered Kiwi tastebuds". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 12 December 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Our Story". St Pierre's Sushi. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  3. ^ Priestley, Laine (19 August 2023). "Sushi chain's first foray into city under construction". Otago Daily Times. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  4. ^ a b Shaw, Aimee (20 February 2018). "St Pierre's to open New Zealand-first drive-thru sushi store in Auckland". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 13 January 2025. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  5. ^ Smith, Alex (9 August 2024). "'What's bento?': How sushi won our hearts, minds and stomachs in Aotearoa". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 15 September 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  6. ^ Lee, Hannah (7 December 2016). "Hundreds queue around a busy New Plymouth street for a free sushi lunch". Stuff. Archived from the original on 13 January 2025. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  7. ^ Steyl, Louisa (22 November 2019). "Shoppers queued up from early morning to be the first to shop at Kmart Invercargill". Southland Times. Stuff. Archived from the original on 29 October 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  8. ^ Laing, Doug (9 May 2024). "Drive-thru sushi at old Stortford Lodge petrol station site as Hastings fast food alley grows". Hawke's Bay Today. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  9. ^ Scott, Tim (7 November 2024). "Sushi fans flock to new store". Otago Daily Times. Archived from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2025.

Official website