published June 4, 2021
by Erin Vieira

Victorious in my venture, I proudly lift the cover off the black plate, revealing beautifully wrapped seaweed and rice stuffed with vegetables, each fish carefully laid on top of the rolls, with just a single drop of kewpi mayonnaise. It’s the piece I’ve been hunting down for the past five minutes, keeping my eyes on the conveyor belt like a hawk, waiting for the perfect piece to come my way. Grabbing a pair of wooden chopsticks, my utensil of choice, and just a bit of wasabi, I take the first bite for myself before offering the other rolls to my friends. Sugoi Sushi is our go-to spot, after all.

Inspired by Japanese cuisine, western sushi only continues to grow in popularity, and with that, a demand for delicious sushi rolls even in the smallest of places. Sugoi Sushi is a restaurant located on 9th Street in the college town of Corvallis, Oregon, and can perfectly provide for students, teachers, and residents alike. Many of those who live in Corvallis are likely familiar with this little conveyor belt sushi restaurant. It’s one of the most affordable out here, after all, with its easily customizable pricing and variety of fun, fresh flavors. From its differing menu items and pricing, those who go to and order from Sugoi Sushi will be sure to have a delicious meal.

The setup of Sugoi Sushi echoes a history of conveyor belt sushi restaurants, originally known as Kaitenzushi. In 1958, Yoshiaki Shiraishi realized he wanted a way to make sushi more versatile and acceptable to the general population, as typically the food was eaten as a luxury. Shiraishi had trouble keeping his restaurant staffed while keeping the food at low price and found himself inspired by an Asahi brewery that transported its beer bottles on conveyor belts (Feng 1). Rather than having to stare at a menu and hunt down a server, customers were seated facing the conveyor belt as it slowly moved by them with plates of sushi, free to pick which ones caught their eye. However, Shiraishi worried his customers couldn’t interact well facing the belt; to solve this, he designed the belt to move past booths for groups and single seats for individuals, allowing customers to have easy conversation with each other (Feng 1).

Sugoi Sushi follows the same formatting. Immediately upon entering the restaurant, consumers will see a conveyor belt rotating around the center of the restaurants, with the chefs working behind the glass, ready to put plates of new rolls onto the belt. A line of chairs faces the conveyor belt in the front, with a set of booths on the sides for customers to sit next to each other if they don’t want to face the belt. Once seated, customers can take a look right in front of them or off to the side to see what types of food are passing by. Customers don’t have to worry about waiting for a server if they’re happy with the sushi they see on the belt, which often rotates between various rolls as the chefs prepare them. The conveyor belt setup makes for a fun, fast, and unique way to enjoy a meal.

Each booth will already have a set of chopsticks and a menu placed on top, or a server will be happy to get them for the customer. Even without a menu, pricing is simple—on the wall of the restaurant, there are five plates with different colored rims hanging, each with a price beneath them. Green plates are $1.35, yellow $1.85, purple $2.35, red $2.85, and black $3.35. Rather than sticking with just one plate, customers can mix and match the different food items no matter the color. At the end of your visit, simply stack the plates, let the server count them up, and you’ll have your bill.

The menu has many different foods to pick from, with the conveyor belt carrying appetizers such as potstickers and sesame balls, nigiri (fish over an oval round of rice) such as maguro (tuna) nigiri, and sushi rolls—the New York is my personal favorite, though the Mountain roll is a close second. If none of the items on the conveyor belt are of interest, customers are free to order something else on the menu from one of the staff, including donburi, yakisoba, tempura, and a selection of drinks and desserts.

Because Sugoi Sushi is such a popular spot, I surveyed a group of customers to see if they had similar feelings with their experience at the restaurant. Survey questions included asking customers about whether they enjoyed their visit both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, experience with the customer service, and ended with a star rating of the food, service, and overall experience.

Unsurprisingly, when prompted whether they would eat at Sugoi Sushi again, the surveyors unanimously agreed they would happily return to the restaurant, with the majority of them also saying they would recommend it to friends and family. There were some small critiques of the customer service, mainly that they can occasionally be difficult to get a hold of since most of the food is on the line and that they don’t interact much until checkout. A few questions around the pandemic mentions their phone lines being busy when called, but it’s no surprise people still want to jump at the opportunity to eat at this restaurant.

Overall, Sugoi Sushi garnered a 4.6/5 food rating, a 4.2/5 customer service rating, and a 4.7/5 for the entire experience. Thanks to its low prices and unique setup with the conveyor belt, customers are guaranteed to have a good time at Sugoi Sushi. Sushi can get expensive, but Sugoi Sushi remains an affordable way to have a tasty bite and it’s always a joy to go to with friends and family alike. Next time you’re around the Corvallis area, be sure to stop by.

Works Cited

Feng, Cindy Hsin-I. “The Tale of Sushi: History and Regulations.” Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, vol. 11, no. 2, 2012, pp. 205–220.

Vieira, Erin. “Sugoi Sushi Survey”. Google Forms, June 2021, https://forms.gle/d1DyBzeQ3S77r3oB7