Saizeriya (サイゼリヤ) is a Japanese chain of family-style Italian yōshoku restaurants, commonly abbreviated as "Saize" (サイゼ). It is managed by Saizeriya Co. (株式会社サイゼリヤ). Its headquarters are in Yoshikawa, Saitama.[1]
Beyond Japan, the restaurant also has a presence in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore, and has a factory in Melton, Victoria, Australia.
History
The current president of the company, Yasuhiko Shōgaki, worked at a western restaurant in Ichikawa, Chiba called Saizeriya while he was attending Tokyo University of Science. The manager at the time recognized his skill, and when Shōgaki became a senior in school, he inherited the restaurant. Italian cuisine was becoming more popular at the time, so Shōgaki converted the restaurant to Italian food - but customers stopped coming. Shōgaki then cut the prices by 70%, and the restaurant did so well that lines started to appear, and he had to open another store.[2]
In May 1973, Shōgaki established a kabushiki gaisha called Maria-nu (マリアーヌ) in Ichikawa. The company then started expanding as a restaurant chain. The headquarters continued to be in Chiba prefecture.