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About this seller
Prefecture 48 is a Japanese dining experience in the heart of Sydney with six venues under one roof. We hear from their leaders in branding, cuisine and tech to learn how restaurants can keep customers coming back – and how tech can boost efficiency.
From left, Five Head Chef Hiroshi Manaka, Azabu Group Brand Director Cindy Tseng and Azabu Group IT Manager Phil Chan.
Dive deeper into Prefecture 48’s immersive dining experience
Why first impressions are everything
What’s the concept of Prefecture 48?
Cindy Tseng, Brand Director:
Prefecture 48 is Sydney’s first Japanese dining precinct. It’s an immersive and progressive dining experience. It’s six venues, under one roof: four restaurants, one bar and one patisserie. Each venue represents a different facet of Japanese culture, arts and cuisine. This idea was born out of lockdown – we wanted to create a space that, when people can’t travel to Japan, they can still experience here in Sydney.
How can a venue set the tone from the moment guests walk into the space?
First impressions are crucial – what they see, smell, hear, and touch. These are all very important touchpoints that we address to help shift the guests’ state of mind so that, when they enter, it builds anticipation. Even before they reach a specific venue inside the precinct. Because there are six venues under one roof, it could be intimidating when you first walk in and you don’t understand where you’re going. From the moment you walk in signage and installations – that creates that cinematic arrival.
Why does it matter to set that tone from the beginning?
It’s important to build an emotional connection with guests. If you create a memorable experience – they’re more likely to come back, or tell their friends about it, which then gets more business. First impressions dictate their experience and what they’re having inside the venue – to be inspired, to be focused on the experience. It warms up our customers to be engaged with the space right from the get-go.
How to weave a story into your concept
Prefecture 48 has one bar – Whiskey Thief. What was the inspiration behind it?
We always knew that we would need a bar in the space. And for Prefecture 48, we wanted to introduce a whiskey bar. But when it comes to bars, there’s always going to be a more expensive or impressive bar out there. So it was really important to carve out our own identity. We wanted it to be approachable and fun and mischievous. So we thought, what could we call ourselves? The tube that extracts whiskey out of a barrel is called a whiskey thief, so the name ‘Whiskey Thief’ came to mind. And from there we thought, what story can we tell inside Whiskey Thief? So because whiskey comes from a copper still, the design of the two-level bar is an interpretation of a copper still. And the walls are white to symbolise purity from the water.
What about smaller touches in the space?
From building the foundation of Whiskey Thief then we thought – ‘What strategic layering can we introduce into this space?’ There’s an underworld theme at Whiskey Thief – like the Japanese yakuza [gangsters] so we worked with a tattoo artist to create these tattoo fabric panels to wrap around both levels inside the bar. Then we thought, when a guest first walks into a bar, how do we want them to feel? The most exciting place in a bar is at the bar. But if they’re sitting in a corner, what do we want them to experience? We want them to feel like they’re part of the storytelling, we don’t want them to feel left out. So we made sure that everything they see and touch is all part of the experience.
How do these little details keep guests coming back?
Every touchpoint is important to reinforce the brand. It fosters relationships and creates loyalty so they want to come back for more. Designing Prefecture 48 was about layers of discovery, so that every time a guest comes back, they discover something they haven’t seen in their previous visit. With every single visit, we want to subtly introduce a lot of different Easter eggs for them to uncover – it’s pretty much an adventure, walking through the precinct. Not every guest remembers every detail, but what they get out of their experience is what the place made them feel.
Every touchpoint is important to reinforce the brand. It fosters relationships and creates loyalty so they want to come back for more … every time a guest comes back, they discover something they haven’t seen in their previous visit.
Why the smallest details can yield the biggest results
How can a venue create an impression before the guests even get there?
The first feed of information you provide, it all comes from websites and social media. This is where the customer extracts information from you. When your website is formal and your social media is fun, that creates friction when they don’t tell the same story. And then when the digital and physical matches, the cohesion builds credibility and the customers are convinced to come back.
Does creating those moments help a venue stand out?
It depends on your concept, and your vision, and the story you’re trying to tell – but 100 percent, creating moments is very important. Building in sensory experiences, unexpected transitions, the printed collaterals guests receive from the get-go, even the conversations, they’re all important contributions to the experience.
Craftsmanship is a pillar at Prefecture 48. How do all the little details in the precinct tie back to that?
Craft always comes first at Prefecture 48. In Japan, the word for craftsmen is shokunin. When we first started this project, we ensured that everyone on board – whether that’s our internal team, our consultants – we called them shokunin. And everyone brings a piece of their talent and experience to contribute to the overall story of Prefecture 48.
Prefecture 48 is a proud Square seller.
Square tools that help Prefecture 48 craft an experience
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