Today we’d like to introduce you to Len Hayashi and Paulina Choi.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Len and Paulina. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Shabu Shabu and sukiyaki are traditionally Japanese meals that families ate at home. My brother and I have fond memories of visiting our grandmother in Tokyo when we were kids and she’d prepare all these vegetables and meats on the dining table with a portable gas burner set up in the middle. The whole family would share this pot as we cooked together.
As Japan modernized and families started to grow, the complexities of getting all the fresh ingredients and shrinking of sizes of homes in large cities made hosting such gatherings more difficult. Our uncles recognized this and created the first MoMo Paradise in 1993. Since then, they have been able to open restaurants all across Asia.
In 2014, my family decided to move back to our home town of LA after spending 15 years in China. It was at this same time our family in Japan set their sights on the US and asked my brother and I if we would be interested in franchising it there. With our third partner, we opened our first US store in Rowland Heights in early 2016 and have been lucky enough to have tremendous support from the community.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
With the pandemic, we took a 180 degrees turn and went from an all-you-can-eat dining experience to takeout & delivery only options. Although we were truly grateful for the incredible support we’ve been receiving for the next couple of months, delivery and takeout model alone was difficult to sustain our restaurants any longer. That’s when we made the decision to temporarily close down all locations in California (July). Our team is working hard to reopen the restaurants as soon as possible. After our Grand Opening (10/19/20) of our Mira Mesa x San Diego location, which has been delayed for nearly half a year, we are planning on reopening our Torrance location- hopefully in mid-November!
When we re-open Torrance, we hope to set up an outdoor dining experience as well as takeout & delivery options again, similar to our set up in Mira Mesa.
Mo-Mo-Paradise USA – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Mo-Mo-Paradise is an All-You-Can-Eat shabu-shabu and sukiyaki restaurant with over 70 locations worldwide. We offer a wide variety of quality international and local meats and vegetables that are cooked shabu-shabu or sukiyaki style at your table. Throughout Asia, Mo-Mo-Paradise has established a strong fan base due to our focus on fresh and varietal selections that are unmatched compared to other establishments. Our goal is to bring you the same quality and selections currently not offered at western shabu-shabu restaurants.
Just a little more about us- We truly believe in the importance of caring for our team members, guests, and the community. One of Mo-Mo-Paradise’ values is to inspire the community to participate in bringing positive change. Some of our activities include: annual toy drives during Christmas time, food drives, and even beach cleanups. More recently, we have raised and donated over 1,200 Japanese bowls to first responders including sheriffs, police departments, and health care workers from April to July (before temporarily closing our restaurants). We plan on resuming our fresh/hot food donations once we re-open our restaurants.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Our restaurants rely on an amazing set of hospitality-driven team members who tirelessly work to take care of their guests. In order to do that, I think some of the top leadership qualities we look for and train for are listening and communication.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.momoparadiseusa.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momoparadiseusa/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/momoparadisetorrance
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/momo-paradise-torrance
- Other: https://goo.gl/maps/PNPp4AfZEY2TZiZ67
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