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Wynna Wong

Winnie Wong

Hong Kong restaurant chain Itacho Sushi has quietly shut down its last remaining outlet, with industry insiders saying the company had been suffering over the past decade and eventually buckled after the death of its founder.
According to a check by the Post on Tuesday, the lights at the Causeway Bay branch were switched off and no staff members were spotted.
“As far as I know, all the branches in the franchise have shut down,” said Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades.
Wong added the chain had been struggling for around a decade, from legal battles and blows during and after the pandemic to the death of its founder Ricky Cheng Wai-tao after battling pancreatic cancer in April.
“[Cheng] began stepping away from the business after his diagnosis [in 2017],” he said. “Following his death, nobody was left to take care of it.”
Local restaurant directory OpenRice has listed all Itacho Sushi branches as “closed”, while the Companies Registry shows its mother company, Taste of Japan, has been deregistered.

An Itacho Franchising Company registered under Cheng’s name was also shown as deregistered.
The owner of a watch shop near the Causeway Bay branch of Itacho Sushi said the restaurant was open last Friday.
The owner, surnamed Lam, said he earlier heard workers at nearby shops say the restaurant would close on Saturday.
Outside the Causeway Bay location, Shenzhen tourist Amanda An said she had tried the chain’s foie gras sushi years ago when she visited Hong Kong. Despite having branches in Shenzhen, she found the taste at the Hong Kong location superior.
However, when she came to the location on Tuesday, she found it had been closed.
“It’s quite regrettable,” the 45-year-old yoga instructor said. “It feels like I will not be able to eat there again in the future.”
Japanese cuisine enthusiast Helen Keung, who has lived in the city for 11 years, said she rarely visited the chain, but had heard of it.
“It‘s a pity,” the 52-year-old beautician said. “It’s difficult to sustain a business even though they have been famous for so many years.”
Keung said she hoped the founder’s family could inherit the business.
“They have the skills and experience to continue operating. Also, I don’t want too many people to lose their jobs because of this,” she said.
Cheng, sometimes known as Ricky San, or “Mr Ricky”, launched the first outlet for Itamae Sushi in Tsim Sha Tsui in 2004.
At its peak, the brand had nearly 30 outlets across the city.
He was known for his frequent television appearances and was the first non-Japanese to claim the prize lot at an annual tuna auction in Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, which cost him HK$430,000 (US$54,900) for a bluefin in 2008.
Amid several legal battles with former business partners, Cheng revealed he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2017.
His death was made public by his friend Edmund Leung Chun-yu, CEO of restaurant operator King of Catering, in a social media post in April this year.
The end of Itacho Sushi follows a string of other franchise closures in recent months as Hong Kong’s retail scene continues to struggle following the pandemic.
Gym and beauty chain Physical abruptly announced its closure on September 6 and has since been taken over by medical beauty firm Perface, while health product chain CR Care shut down on October 8.
Garrett Popcorn Shops also announced its closure of all stores in Hong Kong on the same day, after 13 years in the city.


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Itacho Sushi has closed its last Hong Kong branch. Photo: Jelly Tse.

Founder Ricky Cheng died of cancer in April. Photo: Edward Wong

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Ricky Cheng during a media interview in 2008 in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Edward Wong

Ricky Cheng (third right) celebrates after buying a tuna in a joint bid at a Tokyo auction in 2011. Photo: Handout

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News

Hong Kong

Chain founder Ricky Cheng died in April after years-long battle with pancreatic cancer


Chain founder Ricky Cheng died in April after years-long battle with pancreatic cancer.


Food and Drinks

Hong Kong culture

Hong Kong society