This is Not a Sushi Bar

What This is Not a Sushi Bar does

This is Not a Sushi Bar is a Milan-based Japanese and Asian-fusion restaurant chain operated by the Italian private limited company Investfood SRL (P.IVA 12925600962). Founded in 2007, the business runs four dine-in stores across central Milan — Casati (Via Felice Casati 1), Papi (Via Lazzaro Papi 6), Sanzio (Via Raffaello Sanzio 27), and Conca del Naviglio (Via Conca del Naviglio 5) — and serves walk-in consumers as well as delivery and takeaway customers through a proprietary digital ordering stack.

The company is built on a small but functional technology foundation: a Wix-hosted marketing website, a white-label xMenu online ordering portal (thisisnot.xmenu.it), and branded "This Is Not a Sushi Bar" native applications on Apple App Store and Google Play. Customer engagement is layered on top through the third-party BiteLoyal/Bite Club loyalty program, an Instagram-first social channel, and an email newsletter. The menu combines rotating chef-designed sushi (e.g., 24 Shades of Uramaki, Mix Box 33 Roll) with a "more than sushi" hot menu (noodles, gyoza, takoyaki), and the brand has secured a 100% Norwegian-origin salmon certification through the Norwegian Seafood Council as a quality and sustainability differentiator.

The revenue model is straightforward: per-transaction sales from dine-in, takeaway, and delivery orders, with no third-party delivery marketplace partnerships disclosed on the company's owned properties. Menu pricing is not published on the website and is available only through downloadable PDFs. The customer base is entirely consumer-driven — primarily style-conscious, social-media-engaged Milan residents — and the leadership team comprises founder Matteo Pittarello, Chairman Marco Boroli, COO Manuel Bianchi, and Head of Operations Armando Zappalà. The company has received two disclosed funding rounds from MEGA Holding in 2018 and 2019, with no subsequent capital raises.

Name

This is Not a Sushi Bar

Legal name

Investfood SRL

Website

https://thisisnotasushibar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

This is Not a Sushi Bar is a Milan-based Japanese and Asian-fusion restaurant chain operating four dine-in stores and a direct digital ordering channel (app and web) for urban Milan consumers seeking non-traditional, chef-designed sushi and hot Asian dishes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Milan

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Dine-in restaurant sales: Revenue generated from walk-in customers consuming on-premises at the four Milan stores; menu pricing is published in PDF form (Italiano, English, Allergeni) but not on the website.
2. Delivery and takeaway orders via app and xmenu.it: Per-order sales routed through the branded iOS/Android app and the xmenu.it web portal, with weekly in-app promotions driving repeat transactions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

This Is Not a Sushi Bar operates a multi-location Japanese and Asian-fusion restaurant chain in Milan under the legal entity Investfood SRL, serving a non-traditional, chef-designed menu of sushi rolls, nigiri, gunkan, temaki and hot dishes (noodles, gyoza, takoyaki) for dine-in, takeaway and delivery. Orders are placed in-store, through a branded iOS and Android mobile app, and via the xMenu web ordering portal, with a BiteLoyal/Bite Club loyalty program supporting repeat customers.

Product overview

This is Not a Sushi Bar is a single-brand restaurant concept — not a platform-plus-modules software architecture — operated by Investfood SRL. The core offering is a dine-in, takeaway and delivery sushi/Asian-fusion restaurant chain with four Milan locations (Milano - Casati, Milano - Papi, Milano - Sanzio, Milano - Conca). Around the core restaurant, the company layers a small set of digital channels: an xMenu-powered online ordering storefront (thisisnot.xmenu.it) and native iOS and Android apps ("This Is Not a Sushi Bar"), which together deliver the "Ordina Ora" ordering flow. Customer engagement is extended through the BiteClub / BiteLoyal loyalty program, and marketing is supported by an email newsletter and a "Poke Factory" sibling concept referenced in the brand assets. Menu products include signature sushi boxes such as the 24 Shades of Uramaki and Mix Box 33 Roll, plus a hot-dishes line (Noodles, Gyoza, Takoyaki) under the "#ThisIsHot" theme, with Norwegian-certified salmon promoted as a hero ingredient under the Seafood from Norway partnership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bite Club: Loyalty/club program for repeat customers, referenced as #biteclub #foodinfidelity and linked to biteloyal.club.

Products and services

• This Is Not a Sushi Bar restaurant chain Multi-location dine-in, takeaway and delivery Japanese and Asian-fusion restaurant concept offering sushi rolls, nigiri, gunkan, temaki and hot dishes to Milan consumers.
• This Is Not a Sushi Bar mobile ordering app
• xMenu online ordering storefront
• Bite Club loyalty program
• Sushi boxes (24 Shades of Uramaki, Mix Box 33 Roll)
• Hot dishes (Noodles, Gyoza, Takoyaki)

Quantifiable outcome

• Four retail stores operating across Milan (Casati, Papi, Sanzio, Conca).
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pokè House: Italy's largest poke/sushi fast-casual chain with dozens of company-operated and franchised stores. Direct competitor in the 'modern, non-traditional sushi and poke' category in Italian urban centers.
• Temakinho: Italian-Brazilian sushi and Asian-fusion restaurant chain with multiple units in Milan and other Italian cities. Closely comparable in menu concept, urban positioning, and target demographic.
• Sushiko: Italian multi-location sushi restaurant chain operating in malls and high-traffic urban areas. Overlaps directly on Italian sushi restaurant format and mid-market price positioning.
• Zushi: Italian Japanese restaurant chain with locations across major Italian cities. Direct competitor on sushi-led menu in urban Italian locations with similar dine-in and delivery model.
• I Love Poke: Italian poke/sushi fast-casual chain competing for the same health-conscious, style-driven urban consumer as This Is Not a Sushi Bar in the Milan market.
• Frico Poke: Italian poke/sushi fast-casual chain with multi-city footprint. Direct overlap in the non-traditional Japanese category and Italian urban consumer base.

Broad incumbents

• Wagamama: Global Asian-fusion restaurant chain with strong European presence. Comparable on Japanese/Asian-inspired menu and urban dine-in format, but operates at much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• YO! Sushi: Established UK-based Japanese restaurant and takeaway chain with belt-conveyor dining. Comparable on Japanese menu and urban dine-in/sushi-box retail proposition.

Emerging players

• Sushi Daily: European kiosk-based fresh sushi concept. Comparable on Japanese cuisine retail format and partnership-led distribution model, though predominantly grocery-anchored.

Others

• Glovo: Multi-category delivery marketplace operating across Italy. Ecosystem participant relevant because its absence from This Is Not's owned properties shapes both the brand's margin profile and its digital distribution gap.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/thisisnotasushibar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about This is Not a Sushi Bar