Skylark Holdings Co., Ltd. Chairman and Representative Director Makoto Tani

To be a presence that brings happiness to people in every aspect of their lives

Chairman and Representative Director, Skylark Holdings Co., Ltd.　Makoto Tani(Tani Makoto)

■ Profile

Born December 25, 1951, in Toyama Prefecture. After graduating from the Faculty of Economics at Kanto Gakuin University in 1977, he joined Skylark. He became President and Representative Director of Nilax in 2000, President and Representative Director of Nilax and Executive Officer of Skylark in 2007, President and Representative Director of Skylark in 2008, and Chairman and Representative Director of Skylark Holdings in 2018, before assuming his current position of Chairman and Representative Director of Skylark Holdings in 2023.

Skylark Holdings continues to grow under the management philosophy of "creating valuable wealth." The company operates a wide range of popular brand restaurants, with a core business of Japanese, Western, and Chinese table-top restaurants. We spoke with Chairman Tani, who has supported the company for many years, about his own student days and the company's future prospects.

Hoping to pursue a career in architecture, I enrolled in the College of Science and Engineering at Kanto Gakuin University. However, I struggled more with mathematics than architectural design. After my second year, I transferred to the College of Economics. I ended up attending college for five years. On my days off, I pursued mountain climbing, a passion I'd picked up since elementary school, and worked at a mountain hut on Mt. Tateyama. While nearly 500 climbers visit the mountain each day, the hut only has 30-40 staff members, including part-timers. This forced me to rack my brains to figure out how to run the business with a small staff. I also had many opportunities to lead and persuade others, which taught me the fundamentals of management. At the same time, I developed a strong sense of hospitality through my time at the hut, which I believe is still useful today. After graduating from university, I decided to join Skylark because of my strong passion and the business's potential for growth. My passion for the restaurant industry has been with me since my student days. This happened at a restaurant I stopped at on my way home from golfing. I saw a crying child and a staff member quickly grab a child's chair and toys to soothe him. I remember being deeply touched by the hospitality, which was similar to what I had experienced in my time at the mountain hut. I also felt a strong sense of growth in the restaurant industry. At the time, there were small, cozy restaurants and places frequented by truck drivers, but not many roadside restaurants that the general public could relax in. Believing this business would grow, I interviewed at numerous food service companies. Among the many restaurant companies available, I decided to join Skylark because, while other companies only talked about the number of stores and future prospects, Skylark was the only one that spoke of the importance of "treating customers." My own experience at the mountain hut had taught me that heartwarming moments are not something that systems can provide, but rather something that only people can. These words impressed me, and I decided to join the company.

■To achieve table service

Skylark Holdings is committed to table service operations. This approach is driven by two key elements: "satisfying the stomach" and "enjoying dining out." This is because we value the emotional thrill of dining, not just simply filling the stomach. To execute our table service operations, we also focus on our personnel system for our 5,000 employees and 90,000 crew members. With 3,000 restaurants across Japan, our unified personnel system enables us to maintain stable operations across our various business models. We recruit a diverse range of talent, including enthusiastic researchers, nature lovers, and sociable individuals. Rather than catering to a uniform workforce, we strive to empower our employees to understand their strengths and individuality through self-analysis and utilize these strengths to advance their careers. Furthermore, when hiring, we prioritize individual determination and effort over experience. In one case, a candidate who initially failed an interview was successful on a reapply, demonstrating self-belief and a strong determination to overcome obstacles.

■Skylark's domestic and international expansion

In recent years, the market has been experiencing a rapid decline in the birthrate and aging population. Driven by our desire to support the dietary habits and lifestyles of the Japanese people, we are developing a variety of business formats tailored to their lifestyles. These include cafes like Musashino Mori Coffee, where women can gather together or simply enjoy a leisurely morning, and new business formats like soba restaurants popular with families and seniors. We sincerely hope that Skylark's presence in many aspects of life will lead to happiness. We are also implementing plans for overseas expansion, and are currently expanding our store network, primarily in Southeast Asia and the United States, where demand for Japanese food is growing. We currently have approximately 70 stores in Taiwan, and our fifth store will open in Malaysia. Our vision for the future is to spread Skylark food around the world and provide a happy lifestyle.

■Message to university students

I believe that many students have different potential. While it's certainly good to pursue a career doing what you love, I believe you'll achieve better results if you choose a job that allows you to utilize your potential. To do this, you need to analyze what you excel at compared to others and work to close the gap between what you enjoy now and what you want to do when you enter society. In today's world, where the ability to adapt to uncertain situations is required, it's important to repeatedly reform yourself and master the operations required to complete the tasks at hand. This will reveal the wisdom and ingenuity of management that will foster internal unity. I encourage you to use this time during your student years to reexamine your way of life and your way of thinking.

Student Newspaper April 1, 2024 Issue Tsuda University First Year Student Ishimatsu Karin