Osakana in the East Village. (PIX11 News)
MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) – Yuji Haraguchi said he first heard about Wegmans' new fish market when a customer congratulated him on the opening of a Wegmans fish market branch at Wegmans' long-awaited Astor Place store. Ta.
The only problem was that Haraguchi wasn't affiliated with Wegmans.
Haraguchi said customers were confusing Wegmans' new fish market, Sakanaya (meaning “fish market” in Japanese), with Haraguchi's business, Osakana, a few blocks away on St. Mark's Place. It is said that he was doing so.
Although Mr. Haraguchi believes that is no coincidence, thousands of people are now supporting Mr. Haraguchi's lawsuit, which alleges Wegmans was part of a scheme to plunder his business.
“They have to take responsibility for coexisting with small businesses in New York City,” Haraguchi said of the grocery store giants. “I want the public to know that this is what a multibillion-dollar corporation did to a small business with minority ownership, like me.”
As of Monday, more than 2,400 supporters had signed a change.org petition stating that three companies affiliated with Culimer USA, Culinary Collaborations, and Red Shell Sushi are in exclusive negotiations to acquire Osakana. The details of how Haraguchi entered the company are detailed, but it is said that it was simply to turn over Haraguchi's confidential information to Wegmans. According to the bill and petition, Sakanaya.
A representative for Wegmans told PIX11 News that the grocery chain is aware of the lawsuit, but believes the allegations are “unfounded.”
“At Wegmans, we are committed to providing our customers with the freshest, highest quality seafood in our stores. We are proud of her relationship with Uoriki for over 14 years and have improved our seafood and sushi programs across the company, including our Astor Place location. We are aware that a lawsuit has been filed against our company regarding our fish market “Sakanaya” located inside our Astor Place store. We believe that the claims against Wegmans are without merit.”
Representative of Wegmans.
But Haraguchi said Sakanaya is “confusingly similar” to his store, which opened in 2016. Located just three blocks away, it uses a similar font and branding and advertises itself as a “fish market like no other.”
After being reassured, Haraguchi was confident Osakana was safe, but just over a month after the company launched Wegmans and Sakanaya, Karimor USA suddenly backed away from a potential sale. . Haraguchi said he was left with little time to consider alternatives to selling the business before he planned to move to Hawaii.
The restaurant industry veteran knows it will be difficult to go head-to-head with Wegmans. It's a fight he didn't want. And Haraguchi knows that in a competitive market, it may be better to overlook some offenses.
But in a city where survival is so difficult, Haraguchi said he is fighting for small businesses everywhere.
“They know that small business owners like me cannot afford to take legal action against a multibillion-dollar company like Wegmans.[s]. But I have to protect my business, my employees, and my family,” Haraguchi wrote in the Change.org petition.
Haraguchi said his story resonates with small business owners who wonder, “What would happen if it happened to me?”
“Small businesses struggle every day to survive, and it is important that we support them. Our country and our lives are built on what small businesses have built for us. based on this,” Dina D’Alessandro wrote in the petition.
dreams come true
For Haraguchi, Osakana is a symbol of how far he has come.
“My dream was to open a restaurant ever since I was a student,'' Haraguchi says.
It's a dream he's realized many times since moving to Boston after studying in Japan, including at acclaimed New York City eateries Okonomi and Yuji Ramen. There is.
Haraguchi said he started with nothing and spent 10 years building his food empire, gaining support from the community through a Kickstarter campaign along the way.
After many successes in New York, Haraguchi had decided to make a fresh start in Hawaii in April, but did not want to abandon Osakana.
Haraguchi said the alleged plot nearly jeopardizes Haraguchi's pending transfer and threatens Osakana's potential for growth. He now operates the store remotely, leaving the boat to his employees.
Haraguchi said, “I'm very excited to start something new again.''
