Capricciosa

Capricciosa is a Japanese restaurant brand serving Italian cuisine. It began in July 1978 as a small restaurant in Shibuya, Tokyo, founded by chef Masaaki Honda. The company’s account of its beginnings says Italian food in Japan was then regarded as expensive and accessible to relatively few people. Honda’s aim was to serve Italian cooking to more customers at an affordable price while maintaining good taste. The brand presents that effort as part of its contribution to the development of Italian food culture in Japan. The restaurants draw on the atmosphere of southern Italian trattorias. Capricciosa’s best-known menu item is its spaghetti with tomato and garlic, described on the official homepage as its enduring number-one dish. The menu and home-consumption products also connect the restaurant brand with salads and original products: the official site promotes a pasta sauce based on the signature spaghetti, an original dressing associated with its squid-and-tuna salad, and an original herbal tea served after meals. The chain expanded through a franchise agreement with WDI Japan in 1985. A Japanese Wikipedia entry reports that, by April 2012, the chain had 105 locations across Japan and several outlets in Guam and Vietnam; it also lists a number of overseas markets in which Capricciosa had operated in the past. Those figures and market references are historical and should not be taken as a current store count or a definitive description of today’s footprint. The supplied official homepage confirms that the brand remains active and promotes restaurant-related products and events, but does not provide a current outlet total in the supplied text. The operating company is Itaria Hanten Capricciosa Co., Ltd., headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. The company’s official greeting names Keiko Honda as representative director and says the company carries forward founder Masaaki Honda’s recipes while continuing to propose new flavors. The materials provided do not identify a parent company or establish present share ownership. Capricciosa’s central proposition remains approachable Italian dining rooted in its Japanese restaurant heritage, complemented by branded products for home use.

Capricciosa began in July 1978 as a small restaurant in Shibuya, Tokyo. Its founder, Masaaki Honda, was an Italian-cuisine chef. The company’s official greeting recalls that Italian food in Japan was then considered expensive and available to only a limited group of diners. Honda set out to make it possible for more people to enjoy Italian food at an affordable price. The brand’s official account describes this mission as an early contribution to the spread of Italian cuisine in Japan. The restaurant concept drew on the atmosphere of a southern Italian trattoria. In 1982, the company moved its base to the same building as what became the present Shibuya main restaurant, according to the Japanese-language history supplied here. In 1985, it signed a franchise agreement with WDI Japan and began nationwide expansion. The Japanese Wikipedia entry reports 105 stores across Japan as of April 2012, as well as several outlets in Guam and Vietnam at that time. It also records past operations in California, Hawaii, Saipan, South Korea, Singapore, China, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Taiwan. These are historical statements and do not establish the brand’s current international presence. Honda died in July 1988, aged 44, according to the supplied Japanese-language account. The company says it continues to inherit his recipes while proposing new flavors. Its official greeting names Keiko Honda as representative director. Capricciosa marked its 40th anniversary on July 16, 2018. The supplied history says its website was refreshed and a 40th-anniversary campaign was conducted, with designer Shin Maruyama of &Form engaged for the work. On October 30, 2018, a book about the brand, titled Capricciosa: A Taste Loved for Generations, was published by President Inc.; the entry names nonfiction writer Norio Kamiyama as author and Keiko Honda as supervisor. The brand’s signature spaghetti with tomato and garlic has also been extended into a pasta sauce for home use. The official homepage promotes this sauce, an original dressing associated with its squid-and-tuna salad, and the restaurant’s original herbal tea. Its current supplied homepage text announces a move from its own website mail-order form to Amazon, citing a more convenient purchasing environment. The provided official and reference materials do not establish a current store count, current overseas locations, or a parent company.

• First restaurant opens in Shibuya

• Base moves to the building of the present Shibuya main restaurant

• Franchise agreement with WDI Japan

• Founder Masaaki Honda dies

• Historical store count reported at 105 in Japan

• 40th anniversary

• Book about Capricciosa published

Approachable Italian dining inspired by southern Italian trattorias, with an emphasis on serving flavorful food at affordable prices; the brand also offers selected restaurant products for home use.

• Spaghetti with tomato and garlic

  The official homepage describes this as Capricciosa’s enduring number-one menu item.

• Capricciosa pasta sauce

  A home-use sauce based on the restaurant’s tomato-and-garlic spaghetti.

• Squid-and-tuna salad and original dressing

  The official homepage promotes an original dressing associated with the popular salad.

• Capricciosa original herbal tea

  The restaurant’s original herbal tea is served after meals, according to the official homepage.

• End website-based mail-order sales and move sales to AmazonOther

1. 1株式会社 伊太利亜飯店 華婦里蝶座 — Official homepagecapricciosa.co.jp
2. 2ご挨拶 | 株式会社 伊太利亜飯店 華婦里蝶座capricciosa.co.jp
3. 3カプリチョーザja.wikipedia.org
4. 4Capricciosawikidata.org