Their Story
Yari Club, launching on October 1st 2024 is set to be an automatic rotary yakitori machine-operated restaurant concept.
The opening of Yari Club, a 20-cover QSR, on St Martin’s Lane in Central London, will mark the first time such a machine has been seen outside Asia. It will be launched by Jimmy Tjhie, Founder of Methusellah Limited, who has exclusive rights to the technology in the UK and Europe.
“Our aim with Yari Club is to use customer-visible robotics to add a fun and futuristic dynamic to the Central London QSR scene,” says Tjhie. “The auto-rotating yakitori grill machine will be placed at the front of our unit so customers can follow their orders and passers-by be entertained. We hope to see the same enthusiasm as in Asia, where the robots and chefs successfully work side by side,” he adds.
The menu will offer a selection of eight traditional chicken yakitori dishes: Tsukune (meatball, savoury, sweet glaze), Kawa (skin, juicy, rich taste), Mune (breast, lean, mild flavour), Momo (thigh, tender, flavourful meat), Toriniku (thigh and breast, tender, versatile, juicy), Classic Negima (thigh, spring onion, juicy, savoury) Miso Mune (breast, miso-marinated, savoury) and Teba (wings, crispy, flavourful skin). There is also a Prawn Теmpura skewer and a selection of sides. The skewers are available as single units or multiples and in a rice box as a complete meal.
Upon ordering, customers place an order with the Yari Club staff, who manually load the skewers onto the machine’s grabbing arm. Diners can watch the 1.5m long robotic yakitori machine process their order via a grasp, grill, and sauce dipping mechanic, resulting in a wait time of around 5 minutes from ordering.
“While adding a fun element to the consumer experience, the machine also benefits from low power consumption, takes up a small space, and has a big capacity for production. It is easy to operate and clean and has variable speeds for different types of foods” explains Tjhie.
Yakitori can be translated to “grilled chicken” from the Japanese words yaki (grill) and tori (chicken). Yakitori shops are usually small shops specialising in yakitori, taking the form of a compact shop offering take-out services with some seats. The 650 sq ft unit echoes this traditional design. Yari Club is a five-minute walk from Leicester Square and Covent Garden Piazza and a three-minute walk from Charing Cross and was brokered by Hanover Green and Distrkt on behalf of Shaftesbury Capital.
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