Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Yoon.
Hi Steve, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I came to the United States with a dream of building my life through food. My journey started in California at Hama Japanese Restaurant in Venice Beach, where I began learning Japanese cuisine and understanding the discipline, detail, and passion behind the restaurant industry.
After that, I continued my journey in Dallas, Texas, working at Shogun Japanese Restaurant. Each step helped me grow as a chef and gave me a deeper understanding of food, service, and hospitality.
I also challenged myself academically by studying at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School. That experience helped me expand my knowledge beyond Japanese cuisine and gave me a stronger foundation as a culinary professional.
Later, I worked at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C., which became the last company I worked for before starting my own business. Leaving that position was not just a career change — it was the beginning of my own challenge as an entrepreneur.
My first restaurant was more than just a business. It represented my dream, my hard work, and everything I had learned from California, Texas, culinary school, and my hotel experience in D.C. It was the place where I finally turned my journey as a chef into my own vision.
Today, I operate multiple sushi restaurants and a catering business. What makes me most proud is being able to share my food, build a team, and create memorable experiences for our guests. My story is still continuing, and I am always looking for new ways to grow as a chef, business owner, and leader.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it has not always been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges was growing from a chef into a restaurant owner.
As a chef, I focused mostly on food, quality, and creating a great experience for guests. But once I became an owner, I realized that running a restaurant requires so much more. I had to learn operations, staffing, training, cost control, customer service, marketing, leadership, and how to make difficult decisions every day.
I learned many of these things not just from books or school, but through real experience — by actually working through problems, making mistakes, fixing them, and continuing to move forward. That process taught me a lot.
Even today, I am still learning, improving, and trying to become a better owner and leader. The restaurant business is not easy, but every challenge has helped me grow. Looking back, those struggles shaped me into who I am today.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
As a sushi-focused restaurant, our biggest priority has always been freshness. We pay close attention to the quality of our fish, how quickly we rotate our ingredients, and how consistently we bring in fresh products. Our goal is to order fish regularly and carefully manage our inventory so we can serve the freshest possible sushi to our guests every day.
For us, sushi is not just about making rolls or serving fish. It is about respecting the ingredients, maintaining quality, and creating a dining experience that guests can trust. Freshness, consistency, and hospitality are the foundation of our brand.
What sets us apart is our commitment to daily improvement. We are always working to make our food better, our service stronger, and our guest experience more memorable.
Our dream of becoming one of the best sushi restaurants in Northern Virginia is still continuing today. Every day, we are focused on that goal — serving fresh sushi, building a stronger team, and creating a restaurant that our guests can truly enjoy and remember.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
As a business owner, I have learned a lot from books, mentors, and real-life experience.
One book that really connected with me is Tools of Titans. Many of the stories and lessons in the book reminded me of my own journey. It showed me that success often comes from discipline, consistency, failure, learning, and continuing to move forward. It is a book I would like to recommend to friends who are just starting their own business journey.
I also believe that studying money and economics is very important for any business owner. Running a restaurant well is important, but learning how to think about money, investing, and the future is also necessary.
Recently, The Properties of Money by Kim, Seong Ho has stayed with me the most. It helped me think differently about money, patience, investing, and long-term decisions. It continues to influence the way I think about money today.
For me, the best resources are books, mentors, and continuous learning. They help me grow not only as a business owner, but also as a person.
Pricing:
- Lunch $20-$25
- Dinner $30-$40
- Happy hour $20-$30
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sushirockva.com
- Instagram: sushirockva
- Facebook: Sushirockva
