YO! reopens 18 sites with upgraded kaiten belt

Japanese restaurant group YO! has reopened 18 sites across the UK with its upgraded kaiten belt, with 13 more to follow in the coming weeks.

Guests can now experience a personal, contactless process in the restaurants, taking a picture of a QR code, and ordering and paying for their food via the digital menu on their phone.

Dishes and drinks then arrive directly to the guest via the kaiten belt, with an interactive traffic light system turning amber to tell customers when their food is on its way, which then turns green when the food arrives in front of them.

An updated, slightly reduced menu sees YO! classics like sushi rolls, katsu curry and gyozas return, as well as new dishes such as tuna and avocado tartare.

More dishes are set to return in the coming weeks as the business adapts to working within the government’s guidelines.

“Since we began reopening our restaurants on 4 July, we’ve been delighted by the feedback from our customers on the new format,” explains YO! CEO Richard Hodgson.

“We’ve been working hard to make sure we can offer our guests the fun eating out experience YO! is known for while transforming our restaurants into safe, socially distanced environments.

“We’re excited to continue reopening our doors across the country and provide a really exciting, totally different dining experience.”