Dubai Japanese restaurant chain Sumo Sushi & Bento is entering the Indian market.

The firm has partnered with local operator FranGlobal to open up to 25 outlets within five years, with the first location launching in either Delhi or Mumbai within six months.

“India is a vibrant and exciting country and people are demanding new cuisines and we will hit the mark on it,” said Sumo Sushi & Bento CEO Julianne Holt Kailihiwa. “There’s already awareness, interest and curiosity among Indians around Japanese cuisine especially fusion oriented food. Sumo has been successfully running its chain of restaurants for 20 years catering to Middle East customers who have a very cosmopolitan taste. There’s also a big Indian customer base in Dubai hence we feel that India reasonably should be a scalable market for the brand.”

The firm has been operating in the Middle East for almost 20 years, catering to a cosmopolitan customer base with a strong vegetarian menu segment. It will be targeting a similar clientele in India’s major urban hubs.

“Our biggest challenge is to provide good quality product at a competitive price because the raw material used in Japanese cuisine is expensive,” said Franglobal CEO Venus Barak. “Our quality matches the ones offered in a five-star hotel. We also plan to introduce beer and wine in the menu.”