PLEIN Co., Ltd. Representative Director Taichi Nakao

The driving force is to move forward with all one's might towards what one has decided

Representative Director of PLEIN Co., Ltd.　Taichi Nakao　(Nakao Taichi)

■ Profile

At the age of 18, he became interested in the food business after working a part-time job in high school, and aspired to become a chef and manager. After graduating from culinary school, he joined Hoshino Resorts Co., Ltd., where he studied French cuisine as a chef at Karuizawa Hotel Bleston Court. He was then selected as the youngest member of the Group Food and Beverage Advisory Committee, which oversees the company's entire food and beverage business. He then moved to smiles: Co., Ltd., where he worked in the restaurant division, developing products, being responsible for recruitment, and opening new restaurants. In 2017, he founded PLEIN Co., Ltd., where he currently works.

PLEIN Co., Ltd. delivers happiness to customers through food, with the vision of making the restaurant industry an aspirational job. In 2021, it was the only restaurant company selected as one of the "300 Soaring Small and Medium-sized Enterprises." We spoke to PLEIN founder Taichi Nakao about his journey from his student days to founding the company, and the passion he has for his company.

■ Calculate your life backwards and act accordingly

During my student days, I worked part-time at various places, including McDonald's, Uniqlo, and restaurants. My experience working part-time at McDonald's was a major catalyst for me to enter the food service industry. I enjoyed working there so much, cleaning up before coming to work and practicing making hamburgers after work, so I worked actively, like in a club activity. Then, three months after starting, I was promoted to assistant store manager while still in high school. I was so happy to see my hard work pay off and achieve such results. This successful experience made me realize that this industry was for me. I also felt that the work environment and structure at McDonald's, where motivation and hard work lead to success, were fantastic. From there, I wanted to create a company like McDonald's, so I changed my career path entirely and decided to pursue a career in the food service industry.
When I was 18, I decided to enter the restaurant industry. My father, a business owner, gave me this advice: "If you want to run a restaurant, look at the market and work backwards." My first goal was to study at another company for seven years and then go independent at age 25. After graduating from vocational school, I joined Hoshino Resorts, then transferred to smiles: Inc. and was assigned to the restaurant division. I decided to work at these two companies, hoping to go independent and run a business in those short seven years. As I studied, I realized that successful restaurant managers have in common the skills of artisans, management skills, and financial resources. Hoshino Resorts and smiles: were both companies that had all three of these qualities, so I learned a lot from them. Then, at age 25, I opened a French bistro in Minami-Aoyama. At the time, I had neither money nor a track record, so my branding relied solely on my youth and energy.

■I want to make the restaurant industry an "aspirational job."

Our company's vision is to make the restaurant industry an aspirational career. When I first started working in the restaurant industry, I was able to enter an industry I had always dreamed of, and I enjoyed my work immensely. My work was also highly praised, and I felt a sense of accomplishment. However, when I talked with a friend, I realized that the public's image of the restaurant industry wasn't very positive. So, while I couldn't completely change the image of the restaurant industry, I thought it would be great if a company like PLEIN could help people recognize the restaurant industry as a wonderful job. PLEIN currently has nine stores. Each store has a different name and operates in a different industry, but there are three "bests" that all of them share. That belief is "PLEIN is the best," a philosophy that aims to ensure that customers, business partners, and employees see PLEIN as the best company.
This is based on three indicators. The first is "Simple is Best." By creating products simply—for example, bistros for bistros, French restaurants for French—we can eliminate unnecessary costs and deliver them to customers at a fair price. The second is "Reasonable is Best." Across all industries and locations, we share the same experience value: when customers pay, they can enjoy a similar experience for about 10% less, even though their financial circumstances vary. The third is "Share is Best." This is for employees, and we disclose various figures, such as profit margins. We also share profits from successful operations. It's not just the company that profits; employees also earn profits proportional to their efforts, which ultimately improves our service level. These three indicators ensure that service quality is consistent across different business types.

■ Achieve what you have decided

My daily motivation is achieving my "decisions." You can actually do anything if you put your mind to it. But I think the important thing is to decide, despite the many options available, that this is the only thing you can do, and work tirelessly toward it. In my case, I decided to go independent by the age of 25. At the time, I was determined that if I didn't achieve this, I'd have nowhere else to go, and I worked tirelessly. I think it's important to blindly pursue what you decide to do. I want to continue achieving my "decisions" and accumulating successful experiences. I want to work with honest, proactive people. The members of my current company are people with this kind of mindset. Together with my wonderful colleagues, I want to lead the food and beverage industry into an aspirational job.

■Message to university students

Have lots of special and active experiences. And I hope you will also cherish trying things you don't want to do. I myself had a variety of part-time jobs when I was a student, and quit some of them. When you enter society, you will encounter many difficult situations and encounter many moments when you want to run away. However, by gaining plenty of experience with things that aren't suited to you or that you don't like, you will be able to think, "That time was harder" when times get tough. I believe that having both special and difficult experiences will broaden your world. That's why I want all students to cherish such experiences.

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