Feng Sushi

Feng Sushi is a UK-based restaurant chain known for advocating sustainable fish farming. The company was founded in 1999 by chef Silla Bjerrum and chef Jeremy Rose, with restaurant entrepreneur Luke Johnson the majority owner since 2010.[1]

Feng Sushi
TypePrivate
IndustryRestaurants
Founded1999 (1999)
HeadquartersLondon, England
Key people
Silla Bjerrum (MD)
Products
Revenue£5m in 2009
Number of employees
150+
WebsiteFengSushi.co.uk
Feng Sushi, Fulham Road, Chelsea, London

Bjerrum has been credited by Caterer and Hotelkeeper Magazine as being "...part of the movement that brought sushi to the mainstream".

History

The chain's first outlet opened in Fulham, London in 1999. Bjerrum had previously been employed at London's Nippon Tuk restaurant, owned by Rose. Following Nippon Tuk, Bjerrum worked for club entrepreneur Robin Birley before being asked by Rose to become a partner in the creation of Feng Sushi,[2] with Rose taking New-York style delivery services as inspiration. In 2008 Rose stepped down from the company and Bjerrum became MD.[3]

Sustainability

The company has policies relating to overfishing, animal welfare and organic aquaculture.

Feng Sushi's stated position is to sell sushi made only from sustainably-sourced fish. The chain does not sell eel or blue fin tuna, further to the view that both species have been severely overfished.[4][5] According to the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (a global, non-profit partnership between the tuna industry, scientists, and the World Wide Fund for Nature), Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna, Pacific Ocean (eastern & western) bigeye tuna, and North Atlantic albacore tuna are all overfished. In April 2009, no stock of skipjack tuna (which makes up roughly 60 per cent of all tuna fished worldwide) was considered to be overfished.[6] Its yellowfin tuna dishes are pole and line caught and are reportedly the restaurant's only ingredient to be shipped in by air; scallop dishes are sourced by hand-diving[7] and the firm's cooking oil is collected and made into biodiesel.[8] The chain is a founding member of the Sustainable Restaurant Association.[9]

Bjerrum began sustainable sourcing after a visit to a Scottish salmon farm in 2001, where she was disturbed by the standard of animal welfare:

"When I was on the walkway the salmon were rattling the cages and seemed so generally unhappy. It forced me to reconsider where I got my salmon from."[10]

Bjerrum is a frequent media commentator on the topic of sustainable fishing in the restaurant industry.[11] She has characterised sustainability as "...an insurance for the fish restaurant business...Future supply issues are real."[12]

Operations

As of May 2013, Feng Sushi operates from eight sites: Fulham, Borough Market, Kensington, Notting Hill Gate, Chalk Farm, South Bank, Billingsgate and West Hampstead. In 2009 it reported a turnover of £5m from six sites, employing 150 staff.[13] Approximately half of the group's turnover is derived from online sales.

Awards

2012 - Sustainable City award, chosen by Raymond Blanc and awarded for sustainability in takeaway food.[14][15]

2013 - Sustainable Restaurant Association's Award for Innovation.[16]

See also

References
  1. Johnson, Rachel (22 September 2010). "Big Hospitality". Luke Johnson buys 92 per cent of Feng Sushi. William Reed Business Media. Retrieved 16 May 2013. Johnson is now a 92.5 per cent owner of the business, having acquired shares from five other investors. The only other shareholder is chef, managing director and Feng Sushi co-founder Silla Bjerrum.
  2. Manson, Emily (28 August 2012). "The Caterer and Hotelkeeper Interview". The Caterer and Hotelkeeper Interview – Silla Bjerrum. Clive Jacobs. Retrieved 16 May 2013. When I came in as partner in 1999 I took responsibility for the kitchen: setting it up, the food safety, the people, the packaging, the suppliers and so on.
  3. Riley, Clare (July 2011). "Eat Out Magazine" (PDF). The Art of Feng sushi. fengsushi.co.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  4. Black, Richard (17 October 2007). "Last rites for a marine marvel?". BBC News Online. Retrieved 17 October 2007.
  5. Ito, Masami, "Does Japan's affair with tuna mean loving it to extinction?", Japan Times, 31 August 2010, p. 3.
  6. "Status of the World Fisheries for Tuna" (PDF). ISSF. 10 November 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  7. Stamford, Janie (2 March 2012). "Caterer and Hotelkeeper". Feng Sushi wins Sustainable City award. Retrieved 16 May 2013. Line-caught and in-season MSC-approved mackerel sits alongside hand-dived scallops and sustainably farmed salmon...
  8. Ruddick, Peter. "Big Hospitality". Sustainability no longer a 'buzzword' but an 'insurance' for restaurants. William Reed Media. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  9. "Big Hospitality". Sustainable Restaurant Association launches with 85 members. William Reed Business Media. 2 March 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2013. The SRA has been set up to give consistent guidance and support to the restaurant sector on sustainability.
  10. "Caterer and Hotelkeeper". Fish and seafood – sustainable sourcing. Clive Jacobs. 20 May 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  11. "World Service". BBC. 22 January 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  12. Ruddick, Peter (11 May 2012). "Big Hospitality". Sustainability no longer a 'buzzword' but an 'insurance' for restaurants. William Reed Business Media. Retrieved 16 May 2013. There is still a lot more to do but I think people take it much more seriously and have stopped seeing it as a buzzword.
  13. Kerstin Kühn, Kerstin. "Caterer and Hotelkeeper". Silla Bjerrum - A Minute on the Clock. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  14. "FinChannel".
  15. "Square Meal". Feng Sushi Wins Sustainable City Award. 3 March 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2013. Blanc said: 'The level of care and training there is impeccable. They don't do it for marketing purposes.'
  16. "Sustainable Restaurants Association Award for Innovation". Winner 2013 Feng Sushi. Sustainable Restaurant Association. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
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