Sakae Sushi: from 46 outlets to 2 — Singapore's conveyor belt pioneer shrank 95%

Sakae Sushi was founded in September 1997 by Douglas Foo, opening its first outlet at OUB Centre in Raffles Place during the Asian financial crisis. The chain pioneered conveyor belt sushi in Singapore, offering affordable Japanese food to a mass market. Its green frog logo became one of the most recognisable brand symbols in Singapore's food scene.

The chain expanded aggressively. By 2006 it had 31 outlets in Singapore and 12 more across Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Thailand and the Philippines. It opened a flagship outlet in New York's Chrysler Building in 2008 — a bold international statement for a Singapore sushi chain. But the New York outlet closed within a year, a casualty of the 2008 financial crisis.

By 2017, Sakae Sushi had 46 restaurants in Singapore. That year it closed 10 of them. The chain had not turned a profit since 2015. The reasons were structural: Singapore's F&B market had become brutally competitive, with new Japanese concepts opening faster than the market could absorb. Sakae's mid-market positioning was squeezed between cheap competitors and premium brands. The conveyor belt model, once novel, had become commonplace.

By December 2024, only 2 Sakae Sushi restaurants remained in Singapore, with 2 more in Malaysia. The chain that once defined affordable Japanese dining in Singapore had lost 95% of its outlets. Founder Douglas Foo, who had been named Entrepreneur of the Year in 2006, watched his creation shrink to a shadow of its former self.