Serkan Toso’s byFood is a one-stop digital platform for food-related travel in Japan.
byFood
Japan—a food destination—is saturated with sushi counters, izakaya watering holes, prix-fixe kaiseki, and family-run Shokudo, among other types of eateries.
Tokyo, the nation’s capital, currently claims 263 Michelin stars, more than any other city globally. But as visitors in Japan can attest, booking tables and interpreting restaurant menus––which tend to only be in Japanese––can be challenging for tourists. Serkan Toso, a Turkish entrepreneur and expat in Tokyo, is changing that.
“When I wanted to go to restaurants and try something new, it was a hassle,” Toso says, remembering his early years as a student in Tokyo. “You have to make phone calls for reservations at more than 90% of the restaurants in Japan,” since only 10% are listed on the reservation platform OpenTable. Plus, the sheer number of eateries is overwhelming. “There are so many restaurants, and people are afraid to open those doors because of the unknown.”
While earning a master’s degree in e-business management at the International University of Japan, Toso, 31, fell in love with the nation’s food culture, turning a several-year stint into an extended stay to explore more of the vibrant culinary scene. His appreciation for Japan’s gastronomy, along with a void in the market, led him to launch the website Tokyo by Food in 2017. The company offered food-related experiences, including tours and cooking classes in Tokyo.
Jump ahead to 2018, and Toso merged the venture with his now partner, Kaoru Joho, ultimately launching byFood––a more comprehensive food-related website––in July 2019. As the one-stop digital platform for food-related travel in Japan, the business allows consumers to experience Japan’s diverse cuisine with access to cooking classes, reservations at top restaurants, and curated culinary pursuits.
Penta caught up with Toso, who talked about Japan’s distinct food culture, what culinary travelers request most, and the giving back aspect of byFood.
PENTA: Why is Japan’s food culture so unique compared to other countries?
Serkan Toso: The difference in Japan is that many people specialize in one thing. There’s a dedication to one food and being the best at it. One guy has been doing sushi or ramen, or whatever the food is, for 50 to 60 years––his whole life.
In Japan, so many restaurants continue from generation to generation, doing the same food for hundreds of years. Japan has the oldest of everything. The oldest sweet shop in the world is in Kyoto. It’s been open for over 1,000 years without closing. You can’t find that in other countries.
Japan only reopened its borders to tourism in October. What did you do while the country was closed to tourism?
First, we never stopped working on the platform. We kept building new functions, improving, editing, and creating new content. And we have our YouTube channel. We kept producing videos every week. On the other hand, we needed to generate revenue. We focused on consulting services because Japanese restaurants are very traditional with no technology. Some are still using fax machines. So, we helped them build websites, create social media accounts, promotional videos, food photography, and menu design. This period was profitable without tourism.
Now that tourism has returned, what are byFood customers requesting the most?
Sushi and ramen classes, high-end experiences, and Michelin stars. We receive requests for food tours and high-end reservations. People hear particular restaurant names, and they want to reserve those. Some are members-only or booked one or two years in advance. We try to get the restaurants to open extra slots, then pay in advance. In regards to cooking classes, a US$100 ramen experience––we call “Secret Menu”––is a top seller. It’s not on the restaurant’s menu; we produce the dish for the tour. Apart from that, we offer a custom-made tour service. Even though these are super expensive, like US$1,000 per person, people are willing to pay for those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Can you elaborate on the giving back aspect of your company?
When I started Tokyo by Food, for every booking I donated lunch meals to Cambodia. My business partner was also donating school lunches to children in Cambodia. We had different companies, yet we were contributing to the same country. After we launched byFood, we started “Food for Happiness.” We donate ten school lunches per person per booking. We’ve donated 380,000 meals to South Africa, Sudan, Malawi, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and India.
What’s the latest for byFood?
We recently started eCommerce. The idea is that you came to Japan and enjoyed Japanese food and are back in the U.S. and want to eat the same food you ate in Japan. We ship soy sauce, wasabi, seasonings, Japanese knives, and tableware. We only work with small farmers and producers.
Our vision is to become the world’s foodie travel platform. We want to expand to other countries: US by Food, Turkey by Food, etc. Our first destination in a few months is Dubai, and we will expand to other Asian countries, then Europe and the U.S.
This article has been edited for length and clarity.