On a Roll: Kevin Takarada ’06G is Revolutionizing the New York City Sushi Industry

After starting his career as an automobile engineer, Kevin Takarada ’06G planned to transition into the medical device industry. His path, and the New York City job market, led him to an entirely new field—finance.

Yet Takarada never felt fully fulfilled in his career. He yearned for more.

Already dealing with a period of professional frustration, his personal life was upended in 2012 as his parents, who had been battling cancer for years, lost their fight within two weeks of each other.

To deal with the grief, Takarada poured himself into his work. But after years of dedicating nearly all his time and effort to his job and not being appropriately recognized, Takarada knew something had to change. As he dug into the same old salad he purchased each day for lunch, he wondered why he never enjoyed sushi for his midday meal. How could he get out of his rut, both with his dining habits and career path?

“I wanted to combine my background in engineering with my love for sushi, and create something that was both fast and fresh,” Takarada says.

His bland salad routine eventually led Takarada to leave finance and start MakiMaki Sushi, a restaurant that produces affordable, quick, fresh sushi. Opening the first Manhattan location in 2017, Takarada has successfully revolutionized sushi in New York City, and recently opened his fourth location in the city’s borough.

The technical challenges of developing a transmission for a larger vehicle with higher torque gave him hands-on experience in design and manufacturing, skills that would later serve him well in the restaurant world.

While he thrived in engineering, Takarada wasn’t fulfilling his long-term goals. Wanting to expand his horizons, he earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering at Lehigh, where he further shaped his technical approach. He was a teaching assistant and research assistant, roles that deepened his understanding of problem-solving and leadership. And the academic environment helped him transition from the practical challenges at Honda to a more innovative mindset.

A Detour into Finance

Although he envisioned his engineering skills leading him into the medical device industry, he struggled to find the right role in New York City and took an unexpected detour into finance.

“I was typecast as an automotive engineer,” he says.

In 2008, at the height of the global financial crisis, Takarada became a temporary contractor at UBS, a multinational financial services company. Despite being far removed from engineering, he once again applied his technical mindset to streamline workflows and automate redundant processes. Within weeks, he had transformed daily tasks that took hours into processes completed in minutes.

This ability to innovate quickly earned him a reputation as the “fixer” on his team. He soon moved to a full-time role as a market risk manager at Mizuho Bank. “I was processing millions of data points, analyzing risk and using my engineering skills in a completely different context,” Takarada says.

At Mizuho, he learned a great deal about the complexities of the financial markets, from all the securities that are being traded in the open market, to the various parameters and models that determine an asset value, alongside risks and the impact of general news that can swing the market.

“I was dealing with millions of data points to determine the risk the company carries from all market aspects,” he says. “I was turning into a data monster that was well in tune with the market, huddled under numerous computer screens, stretching my legs only for lunch while waiting on my routine meal to be prepared. All to come up with beautiful visuals on what the company’s risk looked like. As the years went on and my routine seemed to be crystallized, it was becoming clear that a yearning inside was pushing me to do something more.”

Takarada’s Epiphany

Still unclear of how to achieve his professional goals, Takarada took six months off of work, spending his parents’ final months with them as they battled cancer.

The experience gave him a renewed sense of the importance of life, yet returning to the office after their deaths and plugging back into the daily routine of finance exhausted him mentally.

“I needed a change; however, any options or paths toward becoming a hypothetical business owner weren’t apparent.”

In 2015, after numerous accomplishments and contributions within his department, he received a lackluster promotion, which crystallized the feeling that he needed to make a move. While pondering his next step over the same salad he ordered each day, it dawned on him that he never ate sushi for lunch. He realized it was because there was no such thing as affordable, quick, fresh sushi in the city.

His engineering brain kicked in. Could he apply his skills to solve this problem? This epiphany planted the seeds for what would become MakiMaki Sushi—a sushi restaurant designed with the efficiency of an engineering project. With a focus on robotics, automation and streamlined production, he began conceptualizing a new way to bring sushi to New Yorkers.

Engineering Sushi

While working full-time, Takarada spent all his free time the next two years focused on his new goal. First was the conceptualization of a good business idea, then a real estate deal in Manhattan followed by full-blown construction. “I was denied spaces over 30 times while exploring every street and avenue in Midtown,” he says. “I would prepare a presentation for the meeting with the landlord, mock up a layout of our sushi line based on space layout, review finances and convince the landlords that MakiMaki was solving an applicable problem.”

The landlords, however, didn’t agree.

“With every denial feeling like a stab in the heart, creating a cavity that would be filled with doubt,” Takarada asked himself if he should bother continuing. But with each rejection, he pursued another option.

In 2016, Takarada finally landed a real estate deal in the heart of Manhattan, paying a premium for a 500-square-foot space, signing the lease with his wife. In June 2017, after resigning from Mizuho Bank a month earlier, Takarada opened the first MakiMaki Sushi. Within one week, his efforts and vision were validated.

While assembling sushi rolls, Takarada says he heard a customer inside the store yell, “Whoever came up with this concept—thank you! NYC needs this!” He couldn’t help but shed a tear.

A Unique Approach

MakiMaki Sushi isn’t your typical sushi bar. It operates more like a high-tech assembly line. Robots assist in the preparation, ensuring each roll is made with precision, speed and consistency. By applying cutting-edge technology and high quality standards, Takarada created a sushi experience that stands out in Manhattan’s fast-paced environment.

“We’ve engineered a process that minimizes human error, allowing us to deliver high-quality sushi every time,” he says.

Like many restaurants, MakiMaki faced challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, Takarada saw a 50% day-over-day drop in business as the city’s bustling streets became deserted. But his adaptability, and his engineering mindset, kicked in. He pivoted his business model to focus on takeout and delivery, and developed a sushi-making kit that ships coast to coast, ensuring MakiMaki could continue to serve customers safely and efficiently.

“It was a harrowing experience, but it taught me resilience,” he says. “You have to adapt quickly in this industry.”

Takarada’s unconventional path from engineering to finance to sushi has been anything but predictable. Yet, it’s the unpredictability—and his ability to adapt and innovate—that has led to his success. MakiMaki has not only survived, it continues to thrive.

With four successful Manhattan locations, Takarada is finalizing plans to double the size of his original location. “We’re expanding and growing,” Takarada says, “and I’m excited about what’s next.”

Story by Leslie Feldman