[PLACEHOLDER · Name]
Then · [PLACEHOLDER]
[PLACEHOLDER · 2 sentences — what Brian saw, what they ran, the instinct that made them stand out.]
[PLACEHOLDER · where they are now]
Consulting · Oakland
Shinmai
[PLACEHOLDER: 1-sentence thesis for Shinmai — what the room was, what it asked of the program, what Brian delivered.]
01 · The brief
220-seat Oakland build-out. Business plan to open.
Project coordination for the construction build-out and operational launch of Shinmai, a 220-seat restaurant in Oakland. Scope included the business plan, concept development, F&B program, and opening sequence. Sister engagement to Kakui, under the same ownership group.
Oakland. Shinmai was the larger of two engagements with the same ownership group — a 220-seat full-service restaurant on San Pablo Avenue, with Kakui as the second property in the same operator's portfolio. The Shinmai brief was ground-up: project coordination from construction through operational launch.
Business-plan work came first — the financial scaffolding for the operators to run the concept against. Concept development, menu framework, F&B program, and the service model followed. Turn-key coordination with the construction team through to open.
The engagement delivered. Shinmai opened and operated; the ownership group retained me for Kakui as a second engagement. The venue is currently listed as temporarily closed by its own site — treat as paused rather than permanently closed.
02 · The work
Plan through open.
The engagement ran from business-plan scaffolding through first service, with construction coordination underneath.
01
Business plan
Full business plan authored to let the operators run the concept against real numbers.
Pro forma, revenue projections, cost structure, staffing model.
02
Concept + F&B program
Concept development, menu framework, beverage program design.
Scaled to 220-seat service volume.
03
Construction + opening coordination
Project coordination with the construction team through build-out and into the operational launch.
Delivered the room ready to open.
03 · The room
IMG · 4:5Bar, service · [placeholder]
IMG · 4:3Menu detail · [placeholder]
IMG · 4:5Room, late night · [placeholder]
04 · The team
The team Brian built.
Who ran the room. Both are still in the industry.
[PLACEHOLDER · Name]
Then · [PLACEHOLDER]
[PLACEHOLDER · 2 sentences — what they brought, the moves they ran, why their palate mattered.]
[PLACEHOLDER · where they are now]
03 · Recognition
Oakland's Best New Restaurant of 2017.
Shinmai opened July 21, 2017 and earned SF Weekly's Oakland's Best New Restaurant of 2017 (So Far), plus a full East Bay Express critical review and coverage in 7x7, Berkeleyside, and The East Bay Monthly.
Shinmai is probably the best restaurant to debut in Oakland this year. All three cocktails tried were unique and well-crafted, particularly the $10 Old Fashioned, which tastes nothing like an Old Fashioned.Read the piece
Shinmai's biggest strength lies in its dozen izakaya-style plates. Cocktails — wine, sake, a mix of Japanese and local beers — with infusions of Asian ingredients such as Sichuan peppercorns, miso, and five spice bitters.Read the piece
Chef Yingji Huang, best known for his Kakui Sushi in Oakland's Montclair neighborhood, opened his second restaurant.Read the piece
Opening-night record confirming the July 21, 2017 debut; covers both Shinmai and sister venue Kakui.Read the piece
Sleek, sexy, and ambitious — and settling in.Read the piece
04 · Status
Paused, but the portfolio continues.
Shinmai is currently marked temporarily closed. The ownership group still operates Kakui.
A note from Brian
When the same ownership group calls back for the second property, the first engagement did what it needed to do.
Brian Howard
Owner & Founder, Liquid Chef Consulting