St Pierre's Sushi

St Pierre's Sushi is a New Zealand-owned and operated food-service chain specialising in sushi, bento meals, and related Japanese-inspired convenience foods. The business was established in Wellington in 1984 by brothers Nick, Costa, and Perry Katsoulis. It initially operated as a delicatessen and seafood store rather than as a sushi restaurant. The brand name, St Pierres, is associated with the French name for the New Zealand fish John Dory and also evokes Saint Peter, traditionally regarded as the patron saint of fishermen. The company began selling sushi in 1992, marking the principal transition from seafood retail and delicatessen operations into prepared Japanese-style food. In 1993, it entered a supply partnership with Japan's Tokyo Mutual Trading Company for traditional Japanese condiments used in sushi production. This relationship helped support the chain's presentation of sushi as a consistent, accessible everyday meal rather than an occasional restaurant experience. St Pierre's growth formed part of the broader development of New Zealand's local sushi market. Academics Rumi Sakamoto and Matthew Allen have described the company as an important template for the emergence of a distinctly "Kiwi standard sushi": sushi marketed as a healthy, relatively affordable lunch that could compete with other food-court and takeaway cuisines. Its operating model has generally emphasised convenient locations, ready-to-eat products, broad customer accessibility, and a format suitable for shopping centres and other high-footfall areas. From the 1990s onward, the chain expanded across major New Zealand centres, including Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. It had reached 28 stores by November 2008. Subsequent expansion added locations in regional centres such as New Plymouth, Invercargill, Tauranga, Ashburton, Nelson, Karaka, Dunedin, and Hastings. The business broadened its offer beyond conventional sushi by developing bento bowls and incorporating those meals into its online menu and in-store ordering systems. Technology and convenience have become increasingly important to the brand. St Pierre's introduced self-service kiosks and partnered with Uber Eats in 2023, enabling customers to order sushi and bento products for delivery. In 2022, it opened what was described as New Zealand's first sushi drive-through restaurant in Onehunga, Auckland. A second drive-through location opened in Hastings in July 2025. These formats extend the chain beyond the traditional counter-service sushi shop and align the brand with takeaway, commuting, and digitally enabled food purchasing. By February 2023, the chain had 69 stores across New Zealand. It continued regional expansion with a first Dunedin store in November 2024 and reached approximately 80 stores nationwide in 2025. St Pierre's remains an active New Zealand-focused sushi and quick-service food brand, with its identity built around accessible sushi, bento meals, seafood heritage, and nationwide convenience.

St Pierre's Sushi began in Wellington in 1984 as a delicatessen and seafood store founded by brothers Nick, Costa, and Perry Katsoulis. The name St Pierres refers both to the French name associated with the New Zealand fish John Dory and to Saint Peter's connection with fishermen. This seafood-oriented origin remained relevant to the brand's later identity, even as the business moved toward prepared Japanese-style food. The decisive change came in 1992, when St Pierre's started selling sushi. Rather than positioning sushi solely as a specialised restaurant cuisine, the company developed a convenient takeaway and food-court model. In 1993, it formed a supply partnership with Tokyo Mutual Trading Company, a Japanese food exporter, to obtain traditional Japanese condiments used in sushi preparation. The arrangement supported the consistency and recognisability of the company's developing menu. St Pierre's expansion coincided with the increasing popularity of sushi in New Zealand. Researchers Rumi Sakamoto and Matthew Allen have identified the chain as influential in establishing a localised form of everyday sushi consumption. The company's proposition presented sushi as a healthy and reasonably priced lunch that could compete with other ethnic food-court options. This approach helped make sushi more familiar to a broad New Zealand customer base and contributed to what has been described as a "Kiwi standard sushi" format. During the 1990s and 2000s, the business expanded into multiple New Zealand cities, including Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. By November 2008, it had 28 stores in major centres, including a Ponsonby location in Auckland. The later network strategy combined metropolitan sites with regional expansion. A New Plymouth store opened in December 2016, creating new local employment, and a store in Invercargill followed in November 2019. The chain continued to add locations during the 2020s. By February 2023, it had 69 stores, with newer sites identified in Tauranga, Ashburton, Nelson, and Karaka in South Auckland. In November 2024, it opened its first Dunedin store. By 2025, the network had reached approximately 80 stores across New Zealand. St Pierre's has also adapted its service model. It introduced bento bowls as an extension of its online and in-store range and installed self-service kiosks to support faster ordering. In 2023, a partnership with Uber Eats added a delivery channel for sushi and bento bowls. In 2022, the company opened a sushi drive-through in Onehunga, Auckland, described as the first of its kind in New Zealand. A second drive-through opened in Hastings in July 2025. The brand's development therefore combines three strands: a Wellington seafood-store origin, the normalisation of sushi as an affordable New Zealand takeaway meal, and continuing investment in regional stores, digital ordering, delivery, and drive-through convenience. It remains an active, New Zealand-focused sushi and bento chain.

• 2025

  Second drive-through and approximately 80 stores

  [1]St Pierre's Sushien.wikipedia.org

  A second drive-through opens in Hastings in July, while the chain reaches approximately 80 stores across New Zealand.

• 2024

  First Dunedin store opens

  [1]St Pierre's Sushien.wikipedia.org

  St Pierre's opens its first Dunedin location in November.

• 2023

  Digital and delivery expansion

  [1]St Pierre's Sushien.wikipedia.org

  The company adds bento bowls online, introduces self-service kiosks, and begins a delivery partnership with Uber Eats.

• 2022

  First sushi drive-through opens

  [1]St Pierre's Sushien.wikipedia.org

  St Pierre's opens a drive-through restaurant in Onehunga, Auckland, described as New Zealand's first sushi drive-through.

• 2019

  Invercargill store opens

  [1]St Pierre's Sushien.wikipedia.org

  The chain opens a new location in Invercargill in November.

• 2016

  New Plymouth expansion

  [1]St Pierre's Sushien.wikipedia.org

  A new store opens in New Plymouth in December and creates local jobs.

• 2008

  Network reaches 28 stores

  [1]St Pierre's Sushien.wikipedia.org

  By November, St Pierre's operates 28 stores in major New Zealand centres.

• 1993

  Japanese supply partnership established

  [1]St Pierre's Sushien.wikipedia.org

  The company partners with Tokyo Mutual Trading Company for traditional Japanese sushi condiments.

• 1992

  Sushi added to the business

  [1]St Pierre's Sushien.wikipedia.org

  St Pierre's begins selling sushi, initiating its transformation into a sushi-focused food chain.

• 1984

  Business founded in Wellington

  [1]St Pierre's Sushien.wikipedia.org

  Brothers Nick, Costa, and Perry Katsoulis establish the business as a delicatessen and seafood store.

A New Zealand-owned, convenient and accessible sushi chain that presents sushi and bento meals as healthy, good-value everyday lunch and takeaway options.

• Prepared Japanese-style food · 1992

  Sushi

  Sushi is the central product category of St Pierre's Sushi. The chain began selling sushi in 1992 after originating as a delicatessen and seafood store. Its format emphasises ready-to-eat convenience and broad accessibility, helping position sushi as an everyday lunch or takeaway choice in New Zealand rather than only as a sit-down restaurant meal.

• Prepared meals

  Bento meals

  Bento meals extend the brand beyond individual sushi pieces and rolls into fuller Japanese-inspired takeaway meals. They are sold through the chain's restaurant network and delivery channels and support St Pierre's positioning as a convenient lunch and quick-service food provider.

• Prepared bowls · 2023

  Bento bowls

  Bento bowls were added to St Pierre's online menu and in-store offer as part of the chain's menu expansion. They provide an alternative to conventional sushi while retaining the brand's Japanese-inspired, convenient meal proposition.

• Food ingredients and accompaniments · 1993

  Japanese condiments

  Traditional Japanese condiments used in the preparation and serving of the chain's sushi have been sourced through a partnership with Tokyo Mutual Trading Company dating from 1993.

• 2023

  Expand digital ordering and deliveryStrategy

  Background

  Changing customer ordering habits created opportunities to combine physical stores with digital self-service and home delivery.

  Action taken

  The company introduced self-service kiosks, added bento bowls to its online menu, and partnered with Uber Eats.

  Aftermath

  Customers gained additional ways to purchase sushi and bento products for collection or delivery.

  Source

• 2022

  Adopt a sushi drive-through formatStrategy

  Background

  The chain sought to extend its convenience proposition beyond conventional counter-service stores.

  Action taken

  St Pierre's opened a drive-through restaurant in Onehunga, Auckland.

  Aftermath

  The location was described as New Zealand's first sushi drive-through, and the format was later extended to a second site in Hastings in 2025.

  Source

• 1992

  Move into sushiProduct launch

  Background

  The business began as a Wellington delicatessen and seafood store before entering the growing prepared-sushi market.

  Action taken

  St Pierre's added sushi to its product range and progressively developed into a sushi chain.

  Aftermath

  The decision became the foundation of the brand's subsequent national expansion and its association with everyday sushi in New Zealand.

  Source

1. 1St Pierre's Sushien.wikipedia.org