Katsu-ya Group

What Katsu-ya Group does

Katsu-ya Group, Inc. is a privately held, California-domiciled multi-brand Japanese restaurant operator founded in 1997 by Master Sushi Chef Katsuya Uechi with the opening of Sushi Katsu-ya in Studio City, Los Angeles. The portfolio comprises six trade-marked concepts spanning price tiers and formats: flagship Sushi Katsu-ya (Studio City) and Sushi Katsu-ya Seattle, izakaya-style The Izaka-ya (Beverly Grove and Manhattan Beach) and its neighborhood spinoff Little Izaka-ya (Sherman Oaks), premium omakase Kiwami (Studio City), and delivery-only Katsu-ya Delivery (Studio City and Pasadena). Revenue is generated per-cover and per-order across dine-in, takeout, and delivery, with catering and Shopify-powered branded merchandise as secondary streams; distribution runs through owned storefronts and third-party aggregators (Uber Eats, Postmates) plus the order.online direct-ordering widget. The group sells into a horizontal consumer base of individuals, families, and event/corporate buyers, and has pursued limited international expansion via a partnership with SBE (the Nobu-affiliated entertainment group). Founder Katsuya Uechi died in June 2026 at age 67, leaving succession, brand stewardship, and international rollout execution as open questions.

Underlying technology is conventional restaurant and web-commerce tooling rather than proprietary systems. The stack consists of order.online for direct ordering across all brands, Shopify for merchandise (merchandise.katsu-yagroup.com), Google Analytics for traffic analytics, and Level Access for WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility compliance; payment is processed within these platforms. No API, SDK, or app is published, and no AI/ML components are disclosed. The competitive differentiation rests on proprietary recipe IP rather than technology, and customer-acquisition is conducted through the company's own website, Facebook, and Instagram channels.

Name

Katsu-ya Group

Legal name

KATSU-YA GROUP, INC.

Website

https://katsu-yagroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Katsu-ya Group is a privately held, multi-brand Japanese restaurant operator founded in 1997 in Los Angeles, running six trade-marked concepts including Sushi Katsu-ya, The Izaka-ya, Kiwami omakase, and Katsu-ya Delivery across Southern California and Seattle, serving individual diners, families, and event buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Studio City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Revenue generated from customer dine-in experiences at Sushi Katsu-ya, Sushi Katsu-ya Seattle, The Izaka-ya, Little Izaka-ya, and Kiwami locations. Customers pay per menu item for sushi, Japanese cuisine, and beverages consumed on premises.
2. Takeout and Delivery Services: Revenue from takeout and delivery orders placed through company's own ordering platform and third-party delivery apps (Uber Eats, Postmates) at dedicated Katsu-ya Delivery locations in Studio City and Pasadena.
3. Catering Services: Catering revenue from platter packages and catering packages offered for events and gatherings, available for pickup, delivery, or full service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Katsu-ya Group operates a multi-brand portfolio of Japanese restaurants offering dine-in sushi, izakaya, and omakase experiences across Southern California and Seattle. The group also runs dedicated to-go and delivery centers, provides catering for events, and sells branded merchandise through an online store.

Product overview

Katsu-ya Group is a family of Japanese restaurant brands founded by Master Sushi Chef Katsuya Uechi, operating as a multi-brand restaurant group. The portfolio includes six distinct dining concepts: Sushi Katsu-ya (flagship sushi restaurant), Sushi Katsu-ya Seattle (Pacific Northwest expansion), The Izaka-ya (izakaya-style dining with locations in Beverly Grove and Manhattan Beach), Little Izaka-ya (cozy neighborhood izakaya in Sherman Oaks), Kiwami (premium omakase experience), and Katsu-ya Delivery (to-go and delivery service). The group also offers catering services and branded merchandise. Founded in 1997 in Studio City, California, the company is known for signature dishes including crispy rice with spicy tuna, miso marinated black cod, and yellowtail with jalapeño.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sushi Katsu-ya The flagship sushi restaurant brand offering traditional Japanese dining experience with signature dishes including crispy rice with spicy tuna, miso marinated black cod, and various sushi and sashimi options, located in Studio City, CA.
• Sushi Katsu-ya Seattle

Quantifiable outcome

• Helped establish sushi as mainstream cuisine across the United States

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SBE (Entertainment Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorldwide expansion partnership with SBE entertainment group. SBE, led by Chef Nobu Matsuhisa and investor Ely Arnot, operates Nobu restaurants globally and brought Katsu-ya's signature style to international markets through this partnership.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill: Multi-location upscale Japanese restaurant group with locations across NYC, LA, and other US cities. Comparable as a multi-format, multi-city Japanese dining brand with strong chef-driven positioning similar to Katsu-ya.
• Nobu Restaurants: Globally upscale Japanese restaurant group led by Chef Nobu Matsuhisa. Direct peer given both the SBE partnership link — SBE operates Nobu globally and brought Katsu-ya's style internationally — and the shared positioning as high-end sushi/izakaya operators with multi-city footprints.
• Sushi Yasuda: Acclaimed NYC-based upscale sushi establishment operating under an Edo-style philosophy. Comparable to Katsu-ya as a chef-driven, signature-dish-oriented premium sushi restaurant with a strong brand reputation in a major US metro.
• Mori Sushi: High-end omakase sushi destination in Los Angeles. Direct peer to Katsu-ya's Kiwami brand at the premium sushi tier, competing for the same affluent LA omakase customer base.
• Sushi Roku: Multi-location upscale Japanese restaurant and izakaya group with locations across Los Angeles, Scottsdale, and other major US markets. Comparable to Katsu-ya in offering both full-scale sushi service and small-plate izakaya formats across multiple branded locations.
• Kazunori: Premium hand-roll sushi concept by the same Sugarfish/Nozawa lineage, with strong LA presence. Direct peer to Katsu-ya's Kiwami and Sushi Katsu-ya sub-brands in the LA premium sushi category.
• Sushi Gen: Long-standing Los Angeles sushi restaurant known for traditional edomae-style cuisine. Local LA peer to Katsu-ya's flagship Studio City Sushi Katsu-ya in the premium downtown-adjacent Japanese dining market.
• Sugarfish: LA-originated premium casual sushi brand by Master Sushi Chef Kazunori Nozawa, operating multiple LA and NYC locations. Closely comparable to Katsu-ya in positioning LA-born sushi craftsmanship, accessible pricing for premium quality, and a founder-led brand identity.

Broad incumbents

• Kura Sushi: Public revolving-sushi concept restaurant chain with broad US presence. Operates in the same Japanese food service category as Katsu-ya but at far greater scale and a fundamentally different (high-volume, conveyor-based) service model.
• RA Sushi: Multi-location casual sushi and Japanese restaurant chain owned by a larger parent group. Comparable to Katsu-ya as a branded, multi-location Japanese restaurant portfolio but operates at broader scale in the casual-dining segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/katsuyagroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/katsuyagroup

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Katsu-ya Group