As Sushiro re-enters the US, it joins a crowded market where sushi trade has grown more mature in recent years

[TOKYO] When Japanese conveyor-belt sushi giant Sushiro opens its flagship US outlet near Times Square this October, it will join a market saturated with the raw fish staple.

From high-end, Michelin-starred counters to supermarket California rolls and baseball stadium push-pops, sushi has become almost as American as hot dogs.

About 45 per cent of Americans say they like or love sushi, according to a recent National Seafood Association report.

Sushiro is betting, however, that the US appetite for raw fish is big enough to accommodate the casual, mass-market model that made the chain a giant in Japan.

“There is high-priced sushi, and then there is reasonably priced sushi centred around takeout. Our sense is that there is a large market in between,” Masahiro Yamamoto, chief executive officer of Sushiro parent Food & Life Companies, said in an interview at its headquarters in Osaka.

The company first tried to crack the US market in 2015, but pulled out a year later amid mixed reviews and later shifted its corporate focus towards Asian markets.

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Now, with hundreds of restaurants in the Asia-Pacific region, it is ready to try again – this time starting with a three-story, 9,000 sq ft showcase eatery worthy of its perch at the 42nd Street intersection.

The restaurant will pair digital ordering screens with fast lanes delivering made-to-order sushi, while private rooms downstairs will offer a more elevated dining experience, standing apart from the more standardised format of its stores in Japan.