A decade ago, Hiroaki Suzuki was a mid-twenties automotive engineer working in his hometown of Utsunomiya when an evening at a local yakitori restaurant prompted him to abruptly change the course of his life.
As Suzuki ate, a diner sitting near him finished their meal and thanked the chef not with using the standard phrase gochisou-sama deshita (literally translated as ¡°it was a feast¡±) but with the more direct arigato.
¡°There was so much heartfelt sincerity in that customer¡¯s appreciation for the chef¡¯s hard work in creating the delicious meal,¡± Suzuki recalls of that chance encounter. ¡°In that moment, I realized that this type of direct interface was missing in my own career ¡ª and that it was something I wanted for myself.¡±
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