Pizza Hut Japan Co., Ltd. President and CEO Shoichi Nakamura

How to cherish your encounters. That will change your life.

Profile

Shoichi Nakamura
Joined Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan, Ltd. in April 1989.
In August 1994, he was transferred to the PH Department of the Delivery Service Division, where he was involved in the launch of Pizza Hut in the Kansai region.
After serving as a supervisor in the same department, senior area manager of the PH sales unit's direct management team, market manager, and general manager, he was appointed representative director of Pizza Hut Japan in April 2017.
*June 2017: Pizza Hut Japan Co., Ltd. becomes independent

Pizza Hut operates 435 stores in Japan (as of December 2nd). There are other famous pizza chains out there. But what makes Pizza Hut different? Having been a salesperson on the front lines, he understands what customers are feeling and what they want from Pizza Hut. We take a closer look at the thoughts of President Nakamura, who is always striving to make customers happy.

■What was your student life like?

I didn't go to university. Due to family circumstances, I worked part-time every day during high school to pay for my tuition. At the time, the minimum wage was around 500 yen per hour, so I worked various part-time jobs at convenience stores, yakitori restaurants, supermarkets, etc., day in and day out.
Every day was tough, but one day in a downpour, I was walking alone with an umbrella to visit my parents when suddenly, a car called out to me. I turned to see it was a regular customer who I always listened to talk to at the yakitori restaurant where I worked part-time. "Hey, I'll give you a ride!" he said. I realized that this is what happens when you care about your customers and communicate properly. You might think it was a small incident, but for me as a struggling student, it was a strong memory. It also led to my work at Pizza Hut. Even now, the reason I love eating the most is because it allows me to "interact with people."
Also, in high school, what I enjoyed most was going out to eat and chatting with friends. Naturally, I didn't have any money, so I would go to fast food restaurants. One day, I went to KFC Fried Chicken, and there was a cute girl at the counter, and I thought it would be fun to work there. It was a job related to food, which I love, so I decided to join Japan KFC Holdings Co., Ltd. (Japan KFC). It's a simple idea, isn't it (laughs). But when deciding on a job, I think it's very important to be able to imagine yourself having fun working.

■Why did he go from KFC Japan to become the president of Pizza Hut?

After five years of working there, I wanted to try something different, so I submitted my resignation. My boss at the time was very fond of me, so he strongly persuaded me to stay. At that time, he asked me if I would be interested in starting a new pizza delivery chain, Pizza Hut, and I accepted. (Pizza Hut began operating in Japan as one of KFC Japan's businesses.)
Currently, there are several managers at Pizza Hut Japan headquarters who, like me, have started out in the field. I was in charge of the Kansai region and was promoted to area manager and then district manager. Around 2011, when Pizza Hut's performance was declining, I was transferred to the Tokyo headquarters. As I took the lead in efforts to restore performance, I found myself appointed president. By putting the field first and working together as a team, the number of stores, which had remained roughly constant for 10 years, increased by nearly three digits, which I believe has led to the growth of my colleagues and the company.
If it weren't for that boss who persuaded me to stay when I was about to quit KFC Japan, I wouldn't be who I am today. I really feel the importance of encounters.

■Why are you so energetic in your work?

　The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake occurred shortly after I was appointed as a store manager for the first time at Pizza Hut. Fortunately, the store's lifelines were restored within about a week, but naturally, no one ordered pizza, so I wondered what to do with the leftover ingredients and decided to give them away. At the time, I wasn't feeling volunteerism, I just wanted to prevent food waste. However, when the part-time worker who had gone to hand out the pizzas returned, she said, "Manager, we're in trouble! An elderly woman is crying with joy." I went to the scene myself, and the elderly woman cried and held my hand in joy, saying, "Thank you for giving us something warm for free, even though we're cold and hungry."
　As life slowly recovered, an elderly woman ordered a pizza. Even though she didn't know how to order a pizza, she made the effort to ask how to do it and still placed her order. I was deeply touched, realizing, "This is what it means to make people happy." It was this "interaction with people" that changed my feelings about this job.
　Delivering pizza makes people smile. And I get to be a part of that smile. I don't think there's a better job than this.

■What kind of person would you like to work with?

This may seem sudden, but do you remember the brand of pizza you ordered from last time? Most people probably only have vague memories of the brand's logo and campaign details. What's more, the average person orders pizza delivery about 2.5 times a year. That's not many, is it? How can you get customers to choose you in such an industry? That's a very difficult question. Even if you try putting cheese on the crust of a pizza, other companies will quickly copy it.
So, what I'm thinking now is that "fun" and "excitement" are everything. Even when you look at other industries, growing companies are achieving things that others can't. I'm constantly thinking about pizza, wondering if there's something "fun" and "exciting" that only Pizza Hut can do. Right now, I'm thinking about drone delivery to high floors. Delivering pizza to someone living on the 50th floor of a high-rise apartment building from their balcony. See, that's exciting, doesn't it? (laughs) It's the same at work. I want people who can come up with flexible ideas like, "It would be fun if we could do this," and who can think about how to make it a reality, to join Pizza Hut. It's easy to think of reasons why something can't be done. But I believe that people who don't give up and continue to explore the possibilities will help the company grow.
In addition to all of this, I think it would be difficult to work here unless you absolutely love pizza (laughs).

■Please give us a message for university students

You can probably tell from my life story that what's important is meeting people. Communication skills are essential to building a network of contacts. Once you enter the workforce, you can't choose your superiors or subordinates. How do you get your work done under these circumstances?
This is actually an application of the conversations you normally have with your friends. With the development of social media, communication through text has increased, but you never know if what you want to say is really being conveyed. Especially in this age of social media, I want people to value face-to-face communication. Be able to look your friends in the eye and express your feelings.
No matter how much times change, communication will never disappear, just like we always use umbrellas when it rains. When interacting with others, there will inevitably be times when you feel anxious, but can you clearly convey your opinion to the other person at those times? You can change this with a little bit of awareness.

Student newspaper WEB coverage on November 2, 2020

　 Shunsuke Miyata, 1st year student at Keio University

Nihon University, 3rd year Ohashi Seinan / Keio University, 1st year Miyata Shunsuke / Meiji Gakuin University, 3rd year Sugai Nanami Meiji University, 2nd year Yamamoto Masato / Bunkyo University, 2nd year Saotome Taichi / Chukyo University, 2nd year Yasuda Tatsuya