With that philosophy in mind—to empower entrepreneurs with as many tools as possible to succeed—Sushi Nomi began in Fort Worth in 2016.
Current Sushi Nomi owner David Kim was one member of 5 Stones investing company, which took a chance on a talented chef and a restaurant business—Kim’s first.
“When we first started in this area, there wasn’t much competition,” Kim said. “We have a lot of loyal customers.”
After years of success and the departure of their original chef, Kim took over the business in 2019 and promoted Yawshu Jay to head chef.
With experience as a chef in Asia, Jay has worked at Japanese restaurants in the U.S. for the past seven years and has been with Sushi Nomi since inception, Kim said.
“What distinguishes our restaurant is that our ingredients are very, very fresh,” Kim said. “We make sure we get the best there is.”
The highest market rating for fish is AAA, Kim said, which is the only level of ingredient Sushi Nomi uses. According to Kim, the restaurant uses two main distributors that have proven reputations in the market, including one of the oldest Japanese importers, founded in 1926, Mutual Trading.
The ingredients are so fresh in quality, Kim said, that the restaurant does not have a walk-in cooler. Instead, Kim opts to purchase ingredients on an as-needed basis—sometimes daily.
“You must use great ingredients. There is no shortcut,” he said. “It might be troublesome, but that’s what we do. If we wanted to make awesome food using inferior ingredients, we’d be cheating [the customer].”
Customer service is stressed over and over at the restaurant, Kim said. Customers are encouraged to let the staff know their likes and dislikes and price point.
One of the restaurant’s most popular dishes is the 2 for $10 Maki, or sushi roll.
“I know with our ingredients and the way we prepare our food, our commitment [to the customer] is never compromised,” Kim said.
