Zuma
Zuma is a privately held contemporary Japanese izakaya-style restaurant group operating 31+ locations across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America, serving affluent diners and corporate clients with sushi, robata grill, and sake programs under the Azumi Restaurants umbrella.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersDubai, United Arab Emirates
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Zuma does
Zuma is a privately held contemporary Japanese restaurant group founded in 2002 by chef Rainer Becker, with its flagship in London's Knightsbridge. The brand operates an izakaya-style dining concept across more than 31 locations spanning Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America, including permanent restaurants, seasonal summer and winter venues, and pop-ups in resort destinations. Each restaurant is built around three signature kitchen stations — a main kitchen, a live sushi counter, and a robata grill — supported by an extensive sake program (more than 40 varieties at the London flagship) and a curated cocktail list. Zuma runs alongside sister brands ROKA, Oblix, Inko Nito, and Etaru under the Azumi Restaurants corporate umbrella.
Revenue is generated primarily through on-premise dining (lunch, dinner, weekend brunch, and tasting/omakase menus), private and semi-private event hire including full restaurant buyouts, off-site catering for private homes and private jets, digital gift cards, and "the list" — a digital membership offering early reservations and exclusive access. Pricing is uniformly premium and varies by market: Ebisu business lunch from £35-£65 or $35-$38, omakase from $138-$250, tasting menus from £85-£170, and Baikingu brunch packages from AED 495-695 or QAR 385-610.
The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer, relying on brand prestige, earned media in Forbes, British Vogue, Esquire, Gault & Millau, and The Michelin Guide, location-specific Instagram and TikTok accounts, and a SevenRooms-powered online booking layer. Customer segments are affluent diners seeking premium Japanese cuisine and corporate/business clients using the venues for entertaining and private events, with a tourist overlay at global destination locations. Operations are managed from a lean corporate office of 51-100 employees, suggesting a highly centralized structure with location-level labor, culinary, and service staff operated in-region.
Zuma firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Zuma
- Legal name
- Zuma
- Website
- https://zumarestaurant.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Zuma is a privately held contemporary Japanese izakaya-style restaurant group operating 31+ locations across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America, serving affluent diners and corporate clients with sushi, robata grill, and sake programs under the Azumi Restaurants umbrella.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Zuma is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dubai
- HQ country
- United Arab Emirates
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices32 records
Markets served
Zuma business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Restaurant Dining Sales: Core revenue from food and beverage sales across all restaurant locations globally. Operates lunch, dinner, and brunch service periods with varying price points. Walk-in guests welcome at bar areas.
- Private Dining & Events: Revenue from hosting private events, corporate functions, buyouts, and group dining experiences in dedicated private and semi-private dining spaces.
- Gift Cards: Digital gift voucher program for dining experiences at Zuma locations
- Membership Program: The List digital membership offering exclusive reservations and early access, creating customer loyalty and recurring engagement
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Ebisu Business Lunch - London |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Classic Tasting Menu - London |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Snacks Menu - London |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Ebisu Business Lunch - Boston/Miami |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Omakase - Boston |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Omakase - New York |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Ebisu Business Express - New York |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Wagyu Pricing - New York |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Baikingu Brunch - Doha |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Baikingu Brunch - Abu Dhabi |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Ebisu Business Lunch - Abu Dhabi |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Private Event Hire - London |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Omakase - Las Vegas |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Ebisu Business Lunch - Vail |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Zuma product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Zuma operates a global chain of contemporary Japanese izakaya-style restaurants across 31+ locations in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America. Each restaurant features three signature kitchen stations: a main kitchen, a live sushi counter, and a robata grill, serving a menu of authentic yet non-traditional Japanese cuisine inspired by Tokyo izakayas. The business also runs branded sub-experiences including Zuma Beach House in Dubai, private dining and event hire, off-site catering, gift cards, and a digital membership community called "the list."
Product overview
Zuma is a global contemporary Japanese restaurant group operating an izakaya-style dining concept across Europe, Asia, Middle East, and North America. The core offering is the Zuma Restaurant experience featuring dishes from three kitchens: the main kitchen, sushi counter, and robata grill. The portfolio includes the main Zuma Restaurant brand, the Zuma Beach House sub-brand in Dubai, and various modular offerings including Ebisu Business Lunch, Baikingu Brunch, Omakase Tasting Menus, Private Dining spaces, Weekend Brunch, Cocktail Menus (including Zensekai seasonal cocktails and Shiki sake), Late Lunch experiences, Gift Cards, and the 'the list' digital membership program. The restaurants are located in major cities including London (flagship, open since 2008), New York, Miami, Las Vegas, Boston, Vail, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh, and various seasonal/pop-up locations across Europe.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Zuma Beach House: A beachfront extension of Zuma in Dubai, UAE offering signature Japanese cuisine in a beach setting.
Products and services
- Zuma Restaurant Contemporary Japanese izakaya-style dining experience featuring dishes from three signature kitchens: the main kitchen, sushi counter, and robata grill. Located in 31+ global destinations, it is targeted at affluent diners, tourists, and corporate guests.
- Zuma Beach House A beachfront extension of Zuma located in Dubai, UAE, offering the brand's signature Japanese izakaya cuisine in a coastal setting. Targeted at Dubai residents and tourists seeking premium beachside dining.
- Private Dining and Events Exclusive private and semi-private event spaces for corporate events, social gatherings, and celebrations. Available across all Zuma locations with capacity options ranging from intimate rooms to full restaurant buyouts. Targeted at corporate event planners and affluent hosts.
- Off-Site Catering Bespoke catering services for private homes and private jets, extending Zuma's brand presence beyond its restaurant locations. Targeted at private clients and corporate event planners.
- the list (Membership Program) A digital membership community offering exclusive access, early reservations for new openings, insider updates, and first looks at upcoming Zuma locations. Targeted at Zuma's most engaged and loyal diners.
- Zuma Gift Cards Digital gift vouchers for Zuma dining experiences, available in customizable denominations through the brand's online storefront. Targeted at consumers seeking premium gifts.
- Baikingu Brunch Award-winning weekend brunch experience featuring live sushi and robata stations, hot and cold Japanese dishes, and tiered beverage packages (soft drinks, wine/beer/cocktails, champagne). Available in Abu Dhabi, Doha, and other locations with set per-person pricing.
- Weekend Brunch Weekend brunch offering at Miami and other locations featuring champagne, caviar, live cooking stations, and signature Japanese dishes. Targeted at weekend diners seeking a premium social experience.
- Yashoku Night Brunch Night brunch experience inspired by Hong Kong's iconic late-night dining culture, available every Wednesday from 9pm at Zuma Abu Dhabi. Targeted at diners seeking a premium late-night social experience.
Quantifiable outcome
- Renowned as one of London's best Japanese restaurants for 20 years
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Zuma
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Zuma technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Zuma partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Azumi Restaurants (Parent Company)coreAzumi Restaurants is the parent company overseeing Zuma along with sister brands ROKA, Oblix, Inko Nito, and Etaru. The Azumi Group operates multiple Japanese dining concepts globally.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Zuma competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Wagamama: Global Japanese-inspired casual dining chain (200+ locations). Significantly lower price point and more mass-market than Zuma, but operates in many of the same cities and competes for the corporate lunch and tourist occasions Zuma targets at the entry level.
Broad incumbents
- Benihana: Long-established US-focused teppanyaki Japanese restaurant chain (70+ locations). A legacy incumbent in the branded Japanese dining category; competes for the same experiential Japanese-dining occasion but at a lower price point and without Zuma's international luxury positioning.
- Din Tai Fung: Global Taiwanese fine-dining chain (170+ locations) with established Middle East and US presence. Broader and more standardized than Zuma but competes in the same upscale Asian-dining occasion and shares the same global-traveling luxury customer.
Direct peers
- Sexy Fish: Caprice Holdings-owned upscale Japanese restaurant and bar in Mayfair, London, with a Miami opening. Competes head-to-head with Zuma London for the same HNW, sceney, design-led Japanese dining occasion.
- Tao Group Hospitality: Asian-inspired restaurant and nightlife group operating Tao, Hakkasan, and Lavo concepts in NYC, Las Vegas, LA, Chicago, and London. Comparable premium Asian-fine-dining-plus-nightlife model targeting a similar affluent and corporate-entertainment audience.
- Cipriani: Family-owned global luxury Italian hospitality group (Harry's Bar, Cipriani 42nd Street, Mr. C, Cipriani Miami) operating in many of the same cities as Zuma. Directly comparable in family-controlled, multi-generational, premium-event-driven global restaurant group model.
- Hakkasan Group: Operating luxury Cantonese restaurants and nightclubs globally (London, NYC, Las Vegas, Miami, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh) under Hakkasan, Yauatcha, and Ling Ling. Closest peer in the upscale Asian-fine-dining-with-nightlife category and global Gulf expansion.
- Nobu: Global luxury Japanese-Peruvian fine-dining group founded by Robert De Niro and Nobu Matsuhisa, operating ~50 locations across the same cosmopolitan cities as Zuma (NY, London, Dubai, Las Vegas, Miami, Riyadh, Doha). Most direct comparable in concept, price point, and celebrity-driven positioning.
- SUSHISAMBA: Global Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian fusion concept operating in London, Las Vegas, Amsterdam, Doha, Edinburgh, and Riyadh with a similar high-energy, sceney, premium-priced positioning targeting HNW and celebrity clientele.
Regional players
- Sugarfish (Nozawa Group): Los Angeles-based premium omakase and sushi group (Sugarfish, Kazunori, Sushi Note) operating primarily on the US West Coast. Comparable in Japanese-fine-dining positioning but lacks Zuma's global footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Zuma social profiles
Digital presenceZuma financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Zuma leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Zuma funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Zuma M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Zuma
What does Zuma do?
Zuma operates a global chain of contemporary Japanese izakaya-style restaurants across 31+ locations in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America. Each restaurant features three signature kitchen stations: a main kitchen, a live sushi counter, and a robata grill, serving a menu of authentic yet non-traditional Japanese cuisine inspired by Tokyo izakayas. The business also runs branded sub-experiences including Zuma Beach House in Dubai, private dining and event hire, off-site catering, gift cards, and a digital membership community called "the list."
Is Zuma a public or private company?
Zuma is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Zuma founded?
Zuma was founded in 2002. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Zuma based?
Zuma is headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in the Middle East region.
How does Zuma make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Restaurant Dining Sales are the primary driver. The others are private Dining & Events, gift Cards and membership Program.
Who are Zuma's main competitors?
Wagamama is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Benihana and Din Tai Fung. Direct peers are Sexy Fish, Tao Group Hospitality, Cipriani, Hakkasan Group, Nobu and SUSHISAMBA. Sugarfish (Nozawa Group) is listed as a regional player.
Does Zuma have an API?
No public API is recorded for Zuma.