Edo Japan
Private
Founded1979 (age 47) in Calgary, Alberta
FounderReverend Susumu Ikuta
LocationCalgary, Alberta, Canada
LocationsOver 200 in Canada (2025)[1]
Key peopleDave Minnett (President & CEO)
IndustryFast Food
Homepagewww.edojapan.com

Edo Japan, often known simply as Edo (/ˈiːdoʊ/), is a Canadian-founded fast food restaurant chain specializing in Japanese Teppan-style cooking.[2] Founded in 1979 in Calgary, Alberta Canada by Reverend Susumu Ikuta,[3] a Japanese Buddhist minister, Edo Japan was named after the original name of Tokyo.[4] The company is based in Calgary, Alberta, and the first restaurant opened in 1979 in Calgary.[5]

History

Born in 1926 in Kyoto, Japan, Rev. Susumu Ikuta first moved to Australia with his family in 1937.[6] After finishing high school, Rev. Ikuta moved back and forth between Australia and Japan until 1958, when he graduated with an M.A. in Buddhist Studies from Ryukoku University and moved to Canada for the last time to become a Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist minister for the Buddhist Churches of Canada.

In 1979, Rev. Ikuta opened the first Edo Japan restaurant as a means of establishing and sustaining the Calgary Buddhist Temple of Calgary, Alberta,[6][7] and began franchising the business in 1986.[8] In 1998, Reverend Ikuta became the first Australian-raised Bishop of the Buddhist Churches of Canada and decided it was time for someone else to manage Edo Japan's business.[4]

Expansion and growth

Over the course of Reverend Ikuta's leadership, the company grew to 102 food court locations in suburban shopping centres across Canada, the United States and Australia,[2] with about $10 million in annual sales.[3] In 1999, the former president of Moxie's, Tom Donaldson, took over as President and CEO of Edo Japan[8] with a small equity earn-in position before purchasing the company outright in 2006.[2] Over the next 10 years, Donaldson focused on revitalizing the brand by scaling back the number of locations to operate solely in Canada,[2] which saw the company grow to $60 million in annual sales by 2011.[3]  Under Donaldson's leadership, the company expanded beyond mall food courts by opening its first stand-alone location in 2002, and by 2011 a further 36 street-front locations were established under.[3] By 2015, the chain had 109 locations across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Quebec, with $92 million in annual sales.[9]

In 2016, David Minnett, former president of Kelsey's (2006–2009) and Swiss Chalet and Harvey's (2009–2013), took over the role of President and CEO[8] and has continued to expand the company into Ontario and Manitoba,[10] with more than 140 restaurants across Canada as of 2020.[11] Minnett's leadership also brought new additions to the menu[7] and the "Edo Fresh Take" restaurant redesign, which modernized the restaurant's décor and layout, and introduced a grab and go market wall with imported Japanese snacks for purchase.[12]

Edo Japan's core menu items are made to order using a signature teriyaki sauce and cooked on a 450 °F (232 °C) teppan grill. The menu also includes Japanese dishes such as sushi, udon soups and bento boxes. [13][14]

References

  1. ^ "Locations". Edo Japan. Archived 3 September 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  2. ^ Bouw, Brenda (July 25, 2014). "Edo Japan owner fixed the company, then bought it". The Globe and Mail. Archived 4 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  3. ^ Mah, Bill (11 May 2011). "Order in the court – or at street level". Edmonton Journal. p. E1.
  4. ^ Nelson, Chris (October 9, 2011). "Vision brings a taste of Asia to masses". Calgary Herald[failed verification]
  5. ^ "Our History". Edo Japan. Archived 3 September 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  6. ^ "Susumu IKUTA". Calgary Herald. 2024-04-28. Archived 23 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 February 2021. – via Legacy.com
  7. ^ Parker, David (March 30, 2017). "Parker: Edo Japan eyes expansion into Ontario". Calgary Herald. Archived 23 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  8. ^ Saunders, Peter (August 16, 2018). "Meet the Franchisor: David Minnett of Edo Japan". Canadian Business Franchise. Archived 3 September 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  9. ^ Toneguzzi, Mario (September 23, 2015). "Calgary-based Edo Japan looks at expansion following change in ownership". Calgary Herald. Archived 23 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  10. ^ Johnson, Bryon (April 2, 2019). "Edo Japan opens in Mississauga". Toronto.com. Archived 2021-09-23 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  11. ^ "Edo Japan rolls out two more locations". Winnipeg Free Press. January 23, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  12. ^ "What's new in April?". Culinaire. April 16, 2018. Archived 2021-01-18 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  13. ^ Malik, Shazia (March 29, 2019). "Edo Japan Opens First Ontario Outlet At Heartland.". Weekly Voice. Retrieved February 11, 2021.[dead link]
  14. ^ "Opening now (and soon) in Kamloops". Kamloops This Week. June 1, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2021.

Further reading