From the Studio to the KitchenーDelving into Food Development and the Opening of Drive-In Tori with the Staff at CyFoods
Founded in 2020 by Cygames to take on the world of food, CyFoods has recently been active in Saga Prefecture, working to bring the delicious cuisine of the area to more and more people. In addition to developing a successful frozen food collaboration with the popular anime series Zombie Land Saga, they also opened a new location of the beloved local restaurant Drive-In Tori in March, 2023.
In this article, we have a chat with the management of CyFoods to get their insight on the company’s operations, their activities in Saga, and their vision for the future.
CyFoodsーA New Venture Born from a Lunchtime Curiosity
Could you tell us what precipitated the creation of CyFoods?
The founding of CyFoods can be traced back to the opening of the Cygames Saga building. In 2017, when Cygames first established its debug center in Saga Prefecture, we were working out of an office that we rented. As soon construction of the Cygames Saga building was completed in April, 2020, we moved our operations there and founded the Cygames Saga studio. On the 1st floor of the new building, there was a place where everyone in the company could eat lunch. That’s when the idea of having a spot where locals could casually come and dine first surfaced.
That small thought was gradually built upon, and we began to entertain other ideas. Why not open a restaurant managed by Cygames? Why not have the restaurant serve delicious cuisine from Saga? We took these concepts into consideration and began to look for potential businesses in the area that could be a good fit. After visiting countless restaurants in Saga with President Watanabe, we decided to partner with Drive-In Tori, a popular diner in Imari City that specializes in serving chicken dishes. When we first visited Drive-In Tori to try their food, we were honestly shocked at how delicious everything was.
So the idea to found CyFoods and partner with Drive-In Tori was born from the desire to open and manage a restaurant “in-house,” so to speak?
That’s correct. These are the events that led to the opening of a new Drive-In Tori location on the 1st floor of Cygames Saga building, and the founding of CyFoods with the president of Drive-In Tori, Sadayuki Ariura, as one of its board members.
Finding Success with the Zombie Land Saga Torimeshi Collaboration
What is the purpose of CyFoods and what is the company’s focus?
Our primary goal is stated in the CyFoods motto “Harmony through food.”
As for our focus, we’re mainly involved with restaurant management, and food, beverage, and related product sales.
What was the motivation to involve CyFoods in food sales in addition to restaurant management?
We had planned to begin CyFoods operations in earnest with the opening of the restaurant, but around the time the company was founded, the COVID-19 pandemic was getting especially serious.
In response to the times and to keep from spreading the virus, we decided to postpone the opening, and instead sell a frozen version of Drive-In Tori’s popular torimeshi, a traditional chicken and rice dish. With this product, we were able to introduce the wonderful flavor of Drive-In Tori’s torimeshi to plenty of people even though we couldn’t open for business just yet.
There was quite a lot of buzz surrounding the Zombie Land Saga-themed packaging for the frozen torimeshi line when it came out. How did this collaboration come about?
The anime Zombie Land Saga takes place in Saga and, interestingly enough, Drive-In Tori’s Imari location makes an appearance in the series. This instantly turned the restaurant into a must-visit location for fans of the show. We thought incorporating the characters into the frozen torimeshi package design would be a hit with fans, and decided to do a collaboration with them.
What was the fans’ reaction to the Zombie Land Saga packaging?
When the package design was released, we saw plenty of comments from fans expressing a desire to buy the product and to visit Saga. In addition to selling the frozen torimeshi line at Drive-In Tori locations, we also placed them in supermarkets across the prefecture and in outlets that sold Zombie Land Saga merchandise. They were well-received everywhere they were sold. As part of the collaboration, we also displayed cutouts of the characters in participating stores, and thanks to that, we got to see a bunch of pictures of customers posing with them on social media sites.
We think that this collaboration did a lot to encourage fans of the series and of the frozen torimeshi to come visit Saga.
Broadening the Appeal of Chicken Dishes from the Saga Location of Drive-In Tori
After much waiting, the Saga location of Drive-In Tori opened March, 2023 on the 1st floor of the Cygames Saga building, is that correct?
Yes. As an unfortunate circumstance of the pandemic, its opening had been pushed back by a few years. But thanks to the efforts of everyone involved, we were finally able to open for business earlier this year.
Now that it’s finally open, can you describe what kind of restaurant Drive-In Tori is to our readers?
Drive-In Tori is a small chain of chicken restaurants that originated in Imari City, Saga Prefecture. Before the Saga location in the Cygames Saga building, there were three locations: the original in Imari City, the Itoshima location (Fukuoka Prefecture), and the MARK IS Fukuoka Momochi location (Fukuoka Prefecture). From the name, it may seem like quick place to eat for people on the road, but with its familial, warm atmosphere, families as well as people looking for a casual bar experience can enjoy dining at Drive-In Tori. The most famous location is definitely the Imari location. People say everyone in Imari City knows about Drive-In Tori, and there’s often a line to get in.
It’s great to hear how well-known Drive-In Tori is in Imari City. What kind of chicken dishes can diners expect to see on the menu?
Drive-In Tori is very particular about their ingredients, and only uses chicken delivered that morning in their cooking, so you can expect everything you eat to be fresh. Similar to the Imari location, we think the appeal of the new Saga store lies in the variety of chicken parts diners can grill at their table. We’re also preparing several original items to serve at the new store, such as Chicken Nanban and Chicken Sushi.
What was the company’s primary goal when opening a new location of Drive-In Tori?
Our main objective was to preserve the quality established by the existing locations, which was no small feat. With cooperation from Drive-In Tori’s president Mr. Ariura, we worked on recreating the comforting environment that we felt at Imari. We also had our staff train at the Imari location to learn about serving and preparing the menu, and asked their head chef to provide guidance at the new Saga location. A lot of thought and effort went into preparing the new store.
What is your vision for the Saga location of Drive-In Tori?
Drive-In Tori is well-known in Saga Prefecture, but since the Imari location is quite a distance from Saga City, not many people have actually eaten there before.
At Cygames, we’re committed to bringing the best to our customers, and we’ve shown that we’re capable of achieving that. We look to use our know-how to broaden the appeal of Drive-In Tori’s delicious food through our Saga location, and eventually turn the store into a noteworthy lunch spot in the Saga Station area.
Much of the food Drive-In Tori serves incorporates locally grown ingredients, so we hope to contribute to Saga Prefecture by continuing to source our ingredients locally, and creating job opportunities for people in the community.
Open to New Challenges and New Talent
What can you tell us about the operations of the Saga location?
We’ve only just opened, so at the moment we’re working diligently to create a healthy work environment for our staff by making open communication a top priority. To assist with the opening of the restaurant we hired a number of part-time staff. Currently, our team spans a broad age range from teens to those in their 60s, all engaged in significant roles in the dining and kitchen areas.
Is the restaurant looking for new staff to join the Drive-In Tori team?
Of course. We welcome anyone with or without restaurant experience to join our team. Our staff can provide careful guidance to anyone new to working in food service. We are looking for folks passionate about promoting the delicious cuisine of Saga and Drive-In Tori that also find delight in seeing people enjoy food. Come help us build the Saga location from the ground up!
Could you share with us what the future holds for CyFoods?
First and foremost, we’d like to focus on broadening the appeal of Saga’s cuisine, which we hope will lead to opportunities to showcase the industry and culture of the area. Ultimately, however, we’d like to expand our operations beyond Saga and Drive-In Tori, and take on other challenges in the food sector. We aim to develop the business in a way that gains Cygames recognition as a company that strives for high quality not just in their games, but in their food operations as well.
Many readers will likely be keen on visiting Drive-In Tori after viewing this article. Would you like to leave a message for them?
The Saga location of Drive-In Tori is a faithful recreation of the delicious chicken restaurant of the same name that originated in Imari City. We are a five-minute walk away from Saga Station and are open for lunch and dinner. Our dining area is outfitted with regular tables, kotatsu-style booths, and seating for solo diners to ensure parties of all sizes can enjoy a sublime dining experience in comfort. If you’ve never eaten at a Drive-In Tori or just haven’t been able to make it out to Imari City, we invite you to the Saga location to come eat with us! See you soon!
We hope you enjoyed this article introducing CyFoods. Look forward to hearing more about CyFoods and their activities in the future! If you would like to learn more, please visit the sites linked below.
CyFoods Official Website (Japanese Only) Drive-In Tori – Saga Location (Japanese Only)
