U.K. Chain Yo! Sushi Scouting Locations in Chicago

The hugely-popular U.K.-based Yo! Sushi has its sights set on Chicago. The chain, which opened its first location in 1997 and now has more than 50 restaurants throughout England (and about a dozen franchises in the Middle East, Ireland and Russia), wants to open 10 to 12 Yo! Sushi locations in Chicago, their first in the U.S.

Company execs are currently looking at vacant real estate in River North, Gold Coast, Streeterville, Lincoln Park, the Loop, Evanston, high-traffic malls and transportation hubs. Since the process is in the early stages, timing for the openings is still up in the air. But once they do, expect Yo!Sushi to be a hot spot.

The concept seats people around a large winding counter with a conveyor belt moving food through the restaurant. Diners select from 100 types of Japanese-inspired dishes, including sushi, soups, salads, noodle dishes, tempura and more. The total tally is rung up based on the different style of now-empty plates in front of you. Sounds like a no-brainer to us.
· Yo!Sushi [website]

Yo! Sushi [Photo: London.UnLike]

UPDATE: Yo!Sushi is also scouting locations in Las Vegas and Dallas and are considering Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Portland, Seattle and D.C. We're pretty surprised New York isn't on that list.