Yoshinoya Holdings Co., Ltd. President and CEO Yasutaka Kawamura

Working hard always leads to growth

■ Profile

Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1968. After graduating from high school in Hiroshima in 1987, he worked part-time before joining Yoshinoya D&C in 1993. In 2001, he was appointed to the Group Planning Office of Yoshinoya D&C. In 2004, he was seconded to Hanamaru and contributed to the company's business restructuring. In 2007, he became the company's Representative Director and President. In 2012, he became President of Yoshinoya HD, and in 2014, he also served as President of Yoshinoya. He is promoting a "redefinition of the food and beverage industry" under his long-term management vision, NEW-BEGINNINGS2025.

He entered university twice and dropped out twice. The young man discovered the joy of working part-time at Yoshinoya, became a full-time employee, and went on to become president of Yoshinoya Holdings. Educational background doesn't matter; don't be afraid of failure, and work hard at what you're interested in. Value is created by "people," so what is the message that only President Kawamura can share with university students?

　For me, becoming a university student was an escape from my teenage years and the environment around me, so I don't have much to say about my studies. However, I did have a variety of part-time jobs. I think a lot of them were physically demanding, like at a moving center or a golf course.
　Of all the part-time jobs I had, I was hooked on working at Yoshinoya when I started at age 19. Meeting adults I could respect there was a valuable experience for me. Also, Yoshinoya was open 365 days a year at the time, but there was basically only one employee per store. This meant that the store was run by part-timers most of the time. Therefore, even if you were a part-timer, if you became a manager, you could think for yourself, work efficiently, and be entrusted with a variety of tasks. I found being entrusted with responsibility rewarding and became so passionate about it that I ended up not going to university and ended up dropping out (laughs).
　After that, Yoshinoya introduced part-time store managers, and at that time they asked me to leave the position to them, so after much deliberation, I accepted the offer. However, when I actually started working, I found the job to be quite difficult, and I was too busy to attend the night school I had enrolled for the second time, so I ended up dropping out.
　While continuing to work part-time at Yoshinoya, when I was about 23 years old, I saw my friends, who I had only recently been hanging out with, suddenly donning recruitment suits, styling their hair, and becoming job-hunting students, and I began to feel anxious. I didn't have any skills, after all. That's when I was approached about becoming a full-time employee. I thought there was no other company that would hire someone like me, so I decided to join the company.

■The most important thing is to work hard

　When I attended the induction ceremony, I realized that all the other new employees joining at the same time were recent graduates. Looking back, it was probably a good thing, but at the time, I was anxious because I was the oldest and had to work many times harder than others to learn the job quickly and act as if I was the one to do anything.
　At the same time, it was a chance for me to switch on and face my work as an employee, not a part-timer. I really hate the phrase "it's just the way it is." I always wonder why things happen, and I'm the type of person who won't be satisfied unless I pursue my doubts. So I put my all into everything I do, and it was great that it became a habit.
　Even if you can deceive others, you can tell if you're putting in effort. That's why I studied so hard and tried so hard not to lie to myself. I think it was the first time in my life that I studied so hard (laughs). I was just a part-time worker with no redeeming qualities, but thankfully the company gave me the next chance once I became good at my job, which led to my next growth.

■ Becoming a company where people create value

　I believe that "people are the source of value." Robots cannot provide inspiring service; it is people who provide it who can increase its value. On the other hand, labor costs tend to be seen simply as a cost. However, I see it not as a cost but as added value. Valuing people is a shared value throughout the group, and I believe it is the appeal of Yoshinoya Holdings.
　Everyone has their own definition of happiness, and a company cannot unilaterally provide happiness to its employees, but at our company, anyone who puts in the effort is given equal opportunities to grow. That's why we believe that educational background is irrelevant, so we welcome people who seek a meritocracy. On the other hand, we don't have a seniority system, so I don't think it's suitable for people who want stability (laughs).　　
　I want them to take advantage of the opportunities they are given, and work hard to see how far they can go. I also want to change the image of the food and service industry as being difficult to one that is "fun and rewarding."

■Message

　Brand names and academic scores have absolutely nothing to do with universities; I want you to study what you want to study. Deepen your interest. I also want young people to have hope. I want our society to be one where people have hope for the future and want to become adults quickly. If our society is not like this, that is also a problem for us adults. I hope you will have hope for society and the future. There are many good things about becoming an adult. It's also good to make big mistakes. Don't be afraid of failure now, try many different things and pave your own path.

Student newspaper April 2021 issue Honoka Hama, 1st year student at Toyo University