From Ramen Shifu to Raito, from Kanji to Gyozeria, Jay Lin Chinese entrepreneur transplanted to Milan explains the rules of restaurant success.
I really wanted to interview Jay Lin, the Chinese entrepreneur transplanted to Milan who loves Italy and is not yet 40 years old but has some 20 restaurants, direct and franchised, between Milan Bologna and Rome to his credit and still has many new openings on the horizon.
The world of Asian dining is changing its skin; Jay Lin represents the next generation of successful dining. Whether fantastic fusion or finest fusion, Jay Lin’s establishments have that extra something a bit like him, which is playful but “on the mark.”
For the interview Jay is waiting for me at Raito https://raitofantasticfusion.plateform.app/ on San Marco Street, a very pop, well-populated all you can eat restaurant that opened a year ago.
When did you arrive in Italy?
It was 2001, I was 15 years old, and I moved in with my family. All three of us lived together in one room. I enrolled in school to finish middle school and simultaneously got a job as a bartender’s helper in a Chinese bar.
For two years I was doing school and work. When I turned 17, only my dad worked to support us.
I decided to abandon my studies, disappointing my father who feared I had not found future outlets.
Did you go against the wishes of the parents?
Yes, even on another occasion.
I realized that I could not waste time. But I followed my instincts and did it for my parents as well. I started as a sushi apprentice at Soho Café on Via Farini and for a few years I was an ‘assistant chef. By the time I was 19, I was hired as a sushi man. At that time it was not easy to find real professionals. I used to take home knives to sharpen, learning from my dad.
One day I decided to turn over a new leaf and become an entrepreneur by starting with a takeaway together with my mom. In 2009 I opened the first Kanji on Via Aminto Caretto in the Central Station area. In 2013 I opened a second one in Via Broggi and in 2015 in Via San Marco where Raito is now. Now there are two left https://www.instagram.com/kanji_finest_fusion/
So I told my parents to go quietly in retirement, I would take care of them.
My dad was always a little skeptical about my choices, according to him I should have become the perfect employee first not be a boss so he would say, “You’ve gotten too big a head, haven’t you? You don’t want to work!”
While I understood his mentality, I knew that I could not share the same vision. I realized that working in the restaurant industry involves a number of activities outside the kitchen and dining room such as administration management research. I was personally involved in the beginning in creating the menus, together with my dad.
In the meantime I got married, my wife helps me so much she divides her time between family and work
Why didn’t you stop at these locales?
Because I am an ambitious, curious person.
In 2016 I went to Japan to a meeting dedicated to catering and franchising with Chinese entrepreneurs who came from all over Europe.
Well, after comparing myself with other restaurateurs I realized “I was a nobody,” that everything I was doing for my premises, my management and operations were already old. The industry was evolving and I had fallen behind, so I set out to study more to modernize the management system.
When in 2017 there was then the first scandal related to all you can eat, following a report by Iene I also thought of investing in something new.
The sushi burrito trend was starting in San Francisco , and I had the idea to offer it in Milan but with more Mediterranean ingredients. So I opened Fusho http://instagram.com/fusho_original/, the first sushi burrito in Via Sarpi, then in Piazza 5 Giornate and in Via Plinio. Today I only have Fusho left on Via Plinio, which is going very strong. The formula is you compose your burrito as you want only with raw fish and vegetables and it costs 10.50 euros. I only use rice from Novara, on the other hand the best rice is in Italy, why get it in Asia?
I understand you also have a Ramen joint
I learned how to make real ramen in 2017 from a Japanese guy, including through careful research of flours but especially standardizing its production.
And in 2020 I took the exclusive rights to the Ramen Shifu brandhttps://ramenshifu.it/ by developing the franchise together with an Italian partner, who was a customer of my restaurants. The first Ramen Shifu was opened in Via Fabio Filzi in Milan, where there are four others in different parts of the city.
Another 10 are in different cities in Italy, some are franchises.
Over time I decided not to do too small venues anymore because the regulations are the same with less gain, you have the same problems and no room for employees to grow.
Is your business then catering?
I am actually not just in the business of opening premises. I have a software development company based in Modena and a branch in China .
My guys there do the account management for all the venues but we also do consulting for others. How to open and run an all you can eat, how to create a menu, training to chefs consulting on systems. We basically offer “universal support.”
We manage the accounts of all franchise premises, do marketing, purchasing, monitor performance based on analysis, find solutions.
Thanks to this kind of comprehensive consulting, there are many franchise brands that seek our cooperation.
How do you develop all these activities ? In Italy so many close down you instead keep opening
Simple, I accumulate money and then invest.
I only went to middle school but took many training courses on tax, regulations, etc.
Before opening I do a lot of research on direct competition, observe for years, choose the best location.
Tomorrow I have my first class in English school, because when I meet with Japanese people I want to understand and express myself well.
I have a financial vision I don’t improvise and I always keep active, curious.
Standardization of procedures, logistics, operations is important. I know exactly how many kilograms of salmon each of my premises consumes.
And it is equally important to create effective teams made up of people who are happy to come to work.
I grow people by empowering them or making them partners.
I create a positive environment at work.
I go to bed at 3 a.m. and wake up at…depending on the appointments I have.
Do you feel more Italian or more Chinese?
The Chinese are doing less talking and more acting
I feel half and half basically Italy is a peaceful country.
What goals do you have five years from now?
I want to open 50 venues, most of them franchises.
Do you have any new projects in progress?
Yes several
The first the opening of a Chinese restaurant in Milan with a medium-high target audience is called Dragon kitchen.
The second one I will reveal shortly
The third a personal blog of mine, where I do a lot of video on Tik Tok to tell about my typical day.
A new restaurant influencer then?
Yes why not.
