Being innovative does not mean only new products. It also means doing something old in a new way, exploring new directions. We chose to make sushi, because it allows to combine the concept of fast food with a high-quality food , standardized and replicable on a large scale.
Matteo Pittarello is one of the founding partners of This is not a sushi bar, the best sushi in Milan (we tried it and it's incredibly good!), But he is not a restaurant owner, neither a Japanese. Matteo is an eclectic person: entrepreneuship is in his veins (he founded other previous companies) but he is also a management consultant, rugby player and guitarist in a band. He graduated in Philosophy in Padua, master at SDA Bocconi, Matteo is ultimately an inspired and well-trained young entrepreneur, full of passion and grit.
This is not a startup.
Many companies have web sites where you can buy fantastic software, music or gadgets. In our site, you can buy sushi, the best sushi!
Apparently we are a traditional company, but obviously, we are not.
Ever since we started this business, we thought our company as a fast-sushi chain, but deeply integrated with technology and web.
Our customers can connect to the site and, in half an hour, they will see sushi materialize at home, the same time needed to download a movie. Some of our customers organize exactly in this way their evening: they order the sushi from their PC, smartphone or iPad , while they are still in the office or queuing in traffic on the way home.
People can follow us on our Facebook page or Twitter account, check-in on Foursquare every time they enter one of our local (thus adhering to special offers or increase their loyalty points).
We like to think that along with a sushi of high quality, our customers feel part of a “This is not…. Community”: we propose a style and a different communication.
Being innovative does not mean only new products. It also means doing something old in a new way, exploring new directions. We have chosen to make sushi, because it allows to combine the concept of fast food with a high-quality food , standardized and replicable on a large scale.
The start up was founded in 2007, we opened our first store in 2008, the second at the end of 2009, we employ 15 people, we are a small company in Milan, but we're still a startup because we're starting with an ambitious project: we want to get in throughout Italy, with new stores, or franchisee.
Given the logistical complexity, bureaucracy, health provisions, labor law, banking, real estate, that a company like ours has to face (much more than in a typical tech or web startup) the time required to implement projects are a bit more dilated, with the advantage that when the business is ready, we are no longer a gamble.
Why did we start this business? For the courage and desire to create something of value to us. (we all love sushi!)
My partner Lorenzo and I have a past and a background in management consultants. Ayris and Marco, the other traveling companions in this adventure, have skills and experiences complementary to ours.
We have started our business in a time of crisis, hoping that if we succeed in a difficult time, we will have more benefits in a time of growth. It is not easy, but we have the motivation and the knowledge to do something important. We are also pride to hire in a difficult moment and to give quality and freshness in a sensitive area such as food, bringing an innovative model of hybridization between a traditional company and a webcompany.
This is our philosophy: “We are obsessed by quality and customer service. We want to create great relationships with our customers, our amazing fans, our friends.
We are positive people and we try to have a good impact on all persons working at “This is not a sushi bar”, and on our customers and partners.
We want to give a moment of happiness by preparing the best sushi you can serve in the most convenient, lower cost, more attractive packaging.
We prepare the best sushi and we want to deliver it wherever.”
