Shabu-Yo

What Shabu-Yo does

Shabu-Yo operates all-you-can-eat Japanese shabu-shabu (hot pot) restaurants in the United States, currently with two open locations in the Chicago suburbs (Schaumburg, IL since September 2021; Naperville, IL since December 2024) and a third location in Vernon Hills, IL planned for Fall 2025. The legal operator is Skylark USA, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Skylark Holdings Co., Ltd. (TYO: 3197), a publicly listed Japanese restaurant conglomerate that operates approximately 3,000 restaurants worldwide and welcomes roughly 400 million customers annually. The Shabu-Yo brand itself has 300+ locations across Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, and the U.S., marketed as the world's largest shabu-shabu chain.

The core product is a multi-tier fixed-price AYCE dining experience organized into course levels from a $24 Gourmet Chicken Course up to a $49+ Ultimate Wagyu Course, with intermediate tiers (Everyday Trio, Classic, Signature Wagyu). Each course includes a self-serve buffet of 20+ fresh vegetables, sushi rolls, ramen, fried items, DIY dessert stations (Croffles, soft serve, parfaits), and a Fusion Drink Bar. The company's principal point of differentiation is its 72-hour aged Wagyu beef, sliced fresh daily on-site, combined with a curated broth selection (Yuzu Miso, Tonkotsu, Sukiyaki, Black Garlic Ma-Yu, Ago Dashi, Tomato). Shabu-Yo layers seasonal promotional menus on top of the core courses, including a "Trip to Japan" regional series (Hokkaido in March 2026, Kyushu in June 2026) and occasion-based offerings (Valentine's, Mother's Day, Father's Day, graduation).

The business model is direct-to-consumer restaurant dining with a transaction-fee revenue structure: customers pay a fixed per-person price for unlimited dining within time limits (120 minutes on weekends; unlimited Monday-Thursday since June 2025). Incremental revenue is generated from alcoholic beverages, premium add-ons (snow crab, sashimi-grade squid, Wagyu upgrades), and promotional courses. Primary customer segments are families and groups, with secondary segments of business professionals (weekday lunch, launched June 2026 at Schaumburg only), seniors (55+, 10% discount), and students (13+, 10% discount during school breaks). Distribution is exclusively through company-owned, dine-in physical restaurants, with reservations via website/phone and limited take-out (snow crab); there is no delivery platform integration due to the interactive table-cooked nature of the product. The company is privately held, with no independent funding rounds, M&A activity, or minority investors disclosed.

Name

Shabu-Yo

Legal name

Skylark USA, Inc.

Website

https://shabu-yo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shabu-Yo operates all-you-can-eat Japanese shabu-shabu restaurants in the Chicago suburbs, offering tiered AYCE courses ($24-$49+) anchored by 72-hour aged Wagyu. A subsidiary of Japan's Skylark Holdings, it serves families, groups, and business professionals across three Illinois locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Schaumburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. All-You-Can-Eat Course Dining: Fixed-price all-you-can-eat dining experience with multiple course tiers ranging from $24 (Gourmet Chicken Course) to $49+ (Ultimate Wagyu). Customers pay per person for unlimited dining within time limits.
2. Weekday Casual Lunch Sets: Individual lunch portions at lower price points ($17.99-$23.99) available Monday-Friday at Schaumburg location only.
3. Alcoholic Beverages: Additional revenue from beer, sake, wine, soju, specialty cocktails, and interactive matcha drinks.
4. Limited-Time Promotional Courses: Seasonal promotional courses like Japan Gourmet Trip - Kyushu ($39/person) featuring regional specialties and limited add-ons.
5. Premium Add-Ons: Additional charges for premium items like Snow Crab (market price), Wagyu upgrades, Sashimi-Grade Squid ($5/plate), Yuzu Chili Paste ($1).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Shabu-Yo is an all-you-can-eat Japanese Shabu-Shabu (hot pot) restaurant chain operating dine-in locations in the Chicagoland area. The core offering is a fixed-price, multi-tier course experience featuring premium 72-hour aged Wagyu beef sliced fresh daily, fresh vegetables from the self-serve bar, multiple signature broths, plus ramen, sushi rolls, fried items, desserts, and the Fusion Drink Bar. Pricing ranges from $24 entry-tier courses to $49+ premium Wagyu courses, with the offering targeted at families, groups, and individuals seeking interactive at-table cooking.

Product overview

Shabu-Yo is an all-you-can-eat Japanese Shabu-Shabu (hot pot) restaurant chain and part of the Skylark Group. The core product is a multi-tiered all-you-can-eat hot pot dining experience organized into course levels — from the $24 Gourmet Chicken Course (entry-level) through the $49 Ultimate Wagyu Course (premium) — each including a buffet of fresh vegetables, sushi rolls, noodles, fried items, desserts, and the Fusion Drink Bar. Shabu-Yo layers sub-products on top of its core courses: seasonal promotional menus (e.g., Weekday Casual Lunch Sets at $17.99–$23.99, Japan Gourmet Trip – Kyushu at $39/person, Trip to Japan Hokkaido), a DIY dessert station (Croffles, soft serve, parfaits), and special occasion promotions. The company operates three Illinois locations (Schaumburg, Naperville, and a Vernon Hills location opening Fall 2025) as part of a global chain of 300+ Shabu-Yo restaurants across Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, and the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• All-You-Can-Eat Shabu-Shabu / Hot Pot Courses Shabu-Yo's primary dine-in offering: a multi-tiered all-you-can-eat Japanese Shabu-Shabu (hot pot) course featuring premium 72-hour aged Wagyu beef, Kurobuta pork, fresh vegetables, sushi rolls, ramen, desserts, and the Fusion Drink Bar. Available across Schaumburg and Naperville, Illinois locations for individual consumers, families, and large groups.
• Weekday Casual Lunch Sets Weekday lunch offering exclusive to the Schaumburg location, designed for working professionals seeking premium dining at value prices. Includes Japanese Lunch Sets ($17.99–$19.99) and Wagyu Hot Pot Lunch Sets ($23.99), each with Fusion Drink Bar and a To-Go cup.
• JAPAN GOURMET TRIP – Kyushu Course Seasonal limited-time all-you-can-eat course ($39/person) featuring Kurobuta Pork Shabu-Shabu with exclusive Kyushu broths and regional specialty dishes, available during a defined summer 2026 window at both Illinois restaurant locations.
• Trip to Japan – Chapter 1: Hokkaido Seasonal limited-time promotional menu launching in March 2026 featuring Hokkaido-region Japanese dishes including Lamb Shabu-Shabu with regional broths and Hokkaido-style specialty sides.
• New Winter Menu (7 Courses) Seven-course all-you-can-eat Shabu-Shabu menu introduced for winter 2025 with the new $24 Gourmet Chicken Course, returning Crab & Wagyu Course, AYCE Seared Wagyu Sushi, and Yuzu Miso Broth additions.
• Fusion Drink Bar Unlimited self-serve beverage station included with all courses, featuring soft drinks, specialty teas, coffee, and specialty seasonal drinks (e.g., Matcha Latte, interactive Matcha Beer during Father's Day, Valentine's Love Potion cocktail). Lunch sets include a complimentary To-Go cup.
• DIY Dessert and Buffet Stations Interactive self-serve stations included with the all-you-can-eat buffet: DIY Croffle (croissant-waffle) station, soft-serve ice cream bar with various toppings, and build-your-own parfait stations. Available across all course tiers.

Quantifiable outcome

• OpenTable 2025 Diners' Choice Award recognition based on guest reviews
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Skylark Holdings / Skylark GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 September 2021Shabu-Yo is part of Skylark Holdings, a leading global dining company headquartered in Japan. Skylark Holdings operates more than 3,000 restaurants worldwide, welcoming approximately 400 million customers annually. The parent company provides operational infrastructure, supply chain management, quality assurance systems, and brand heritage spanning over 50 years of restaurant experience.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot: Little Sheep is one of the original Asian hot pot chains to expand into North America, focused on Mongolian-style broth and AYCE offerings. Comparable to Shabu-Yo on the core hot pot / AYCE dining mechanic, with overlapping target families and group diners.
• Genghis Grill (KH Group): Genghis Grill is a US-based build-your-own stir-fry chain operating on a fixed-price AYCE model with multiple proteins, vegetables, and sauces. Comparable to Shabu-Yo in AYCE format, pricing architecture, group/family appeal, and casual dine-in service model, though it offers stir-fry rather than broth-based hot pot.
• Happy Lamb Hot Pot: Happy Lamb is a Chinese-Mongolian style hot pot chain with US locations in California and other states, typically offering AYCE courses with multiple broth options and a meat/vegetable bar. Closely comparable to Shabu-Yo's AYCE, multi-broth, table-cooking experience; differs mainly on Asian regional style.
• Haidilao International: Haidilao is the world's largest dedicated Chinese hot pot chain, offering sit-down, interactive hot pot with table-side service and premium ingredients. Directly comparable to Shabu-Yo's AYCE hot pot model in format, customer experience, and ingredient-led positioning, though Shabu-Yo specializes in Japanese shabu-shabu vs. Sichuan-style broths.
• Blue Sushi Sake Grill: Blue Sushi Sake Grill is a US-based Japanese restaurant chain offering sushi, sake, and Japanese fusion including sustainable-leaning menu claims. Comparable to Shabu-Yo on US multi-location Japanese cuisine chain positioning and group/family appeal, though without hot pot specialization.
• BD's Mongolian Grill: BD's Mongolian Grill operates AYCE stir-fry restaurants across the US Midwest and nationwide with a similar interactive-cooking, fixed-price positioning to Shabu-Yo. Highly comparable on business model and target diner (families/groups seeking value + custom cooking), differentiated by stir-fry vs. hot pot.

Emerging players

• Kura Revolving Sushi Bar: Kura is a Japanese AYCE sushi chain in the US using a conveyor/revolving delivery system that emphasizes automation, novelty, and value pricing. Comparable to Shabu-Yo on the Japanese-cuisine, AYCE, value-meets-tech positioning, but with a smaller store footprint and sushi-specific niche.

Broad incumbents

• RA Sushi Bar & Grill: RA Sushi is part of the larger Fat Brands restaurant group, operating a chain of casual Japanese sushi and Asian-fusion bars across the US. Comparable to Shabu-Yo on US multi-state Japanese casual dining presence and group/family appeal, though broader in menu and with alcoholic beverage focus.
• Morimoto Asia: Morimoto Asia is an Iron Chef-branded Japanese/Asian restaurant concept from a celebrity chef, focused on higher-end Japanese cuisine including hot pot. Comparable to Shabu-Yo on premium Japanese positioning and presence in major US markets, but positioned more as upscale dining than AYCE value.

Regional players

• Ichiban Japanese Steak & Sushi House: Ichiban is a Midwest-based Japanese restaurant group offering teppanyaki, sushi, and hot pot at multiple US locations. Comparable to Shabu-Yo on Midwest regional Japanese cuisine positioning and family-style AYCE format, but operationally distinct (teppanyaki live cooking) and not yet a national brand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/shabuyo.usa
• Instagraminstagram.com/shabuyo.usa
• TikToktiktok.com/@shabuyo.usa
• Xx.com/Trusted_DE_Info

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 Shabu-Yo