Tell Us Your Story. What motivated you to start your business? Why are you passionate about what you do?

Surprisingly, I didn’t have any motivation when starting the business, and I might be the only one among the nominees who felt that way. There's an interesting story behind it. I became a co-owner of Joy Sushi at 19, right after graduating from high school. One day, my parents told me they were going to open a small sushi restaurant. I asked, 'Why?' My parents wanted to start their own business, and they told me to rotate shifts with the server they hired. On the opening day, the server called and said she was not going to work. My parents needed a server to open the store, so that’s how I began. At that time, I enjoyed eating sushi, but nothing more than that. I had zero knowledge about what I was doing. As time went by, I started to enjoy working in the food industry, and my thoughts changed from "why" to "why not." Now, I am passionate about creating new menu items and providing exceptional customer service. I define myself as an innovative person. Based on food trends and customer interests, I have created new menu items that are not sold in restaurants near my neighborhood, such as Korean-style Spicy Chicken, which was a big hit. My creations have attracted more customers to the store. My customers often say that they tried sushi elsewhere and weren't satisfied. As a foodie, I hate it when I forget to mention my special requests. Therefore, I'm eager to focus on customers, and it goes beyond just ensuring they receive the correct order. Sometimes, my regular customers forget to include their usual special requests in their orders. I always remember their particular preferences and take appropriate action. Many of my customers have thanked me for remembering their orders. I also aim to interact creatively with my customers. I love writing little personalized messages with their orders. I often include a small sketch with the message, such as "Enjoy your meal." Sometimes, I write funny notes like "See you next week, (Customer's Name)." My customers reply to me with a message when they place their next order. Another. clever engagement I use is naming customers' usual orders after them. Some customers always substitute items on the menu. Instead of listing their requests each time, I let them mention their named meal to simplify ordering. My regular customers love it, and some are proud to have a customized meal named after them. I enjoy inventing new menu items and love building relationships with customers. My customers enjoy visiting my store

Describe and demonstrate, including metrics, your community support. How do you support and uplift your community, and how do they show that support in return? Minimum 25 words, maximum 2500 characters.

Joy Sushi has supported and uplifted its community by operating effectively during lunch hours and providing healthy food. Joy Sushi serves sushi and some Korean dishes. We are committed to providing delicious, nutritious food using clean and quality ingredients. Joy Sushi is conveniently located near stations, businesses, and commercial areas. People are often in a hurry and choose unhealthy fast food over healthy options because it is affordable and quick. The vision of Joy Sushi is that healthy food shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg or be inconvenient. Our menu prices are reasonable, and we aim to provide the speediest service possible while maintaining excellent food quality. By delivering fast service during lunch rush hours, Joy Sushi has become a go-to place for lunch in the neighbourhood. In addition to our speedy service, Joy Sushi offers various healthy menu items to provide people with convenient access to healthy food. For example, our customers love our nutritious and affordable bento boxes, which contain a good balance of protein, vegetables, and carbs. Our customers gave us many heartwarming messages and showed love in return for our support. I received many compliments from my customers. The feedback I often hear is that the food is delicious and even their picky family members love Joy Sushi. People began to spread the word about our restaurant. Additionally, my local customers frequently express their appreciation for our store's existence. They say they’re glad we are here so they can easily access nutritious food whenever they need a break from meal planning. I often hear from customers that they like us because we use fresh ingredients and maintain cleanliness. Initially, I barely had any customers. As my family and I worked hard, within a month, people began to notice us. After a few years of operation, we began to have twice as many customers compared to the beginning. It all happened by word of mouth. Some customers still come to eat our food even after they move out of town. From time to time, we have customers dropping by while they are in the neighbourhood or passing through. These are some testaments of how I have positively supported my community, and I am proud of it.

Why do you deserve to win the Business Impact award?

I deserve to win the Business Impact Award because I lowered the barrier for nutritious foods, provided the utmost customer care, and created a healthy workplace. Moreover, my family as an owner of the business work harder than anybody in the community with dedication and positively contribute to my neighbourhood in various ways. Joy Sushi is committed to providing fresh food. Since the beginning, as the owner and sushi chef, he has started his work as early as 6 am daily to prepare fresh fish and other ingredients, often leaving the store at 10 pm. Additionally, we go grocery shopping a few times a week to find the freshest local ingredients. We’ve invented many of our sauces and make them in-house. Joy Sushi supported the local neighbourhood by keeping our store operational during tough times. When COVID-19 hit, we kept our store open and running as usual, operating from Monday to Saturday, 11 am to 9 pm. Due to the lockdown, most orders came through the delivery platform. At that time, we were the only restaurant in the area that stayed open until late, so dinner times were wild. Everyone started to order simultaneously, which continued until our closing time. We had to cancel some of the orders at some point because we couldn’t handle the high demand. During challenging times, my store provided a much-needed service to the people in my community so customers could order food despite the commuting restrictions. Many of my customers showed support and love towards us. I can't forget the moments when customers wrote "Thank you for working" on the delivery platform. Joy Sushi is an excellent candidate for the 'Business Impact Award' because it has contributed to my community in a variety of areas.

Tell Us About Your Culture. How are you creating a sustainable and healthy workplace where everyone feels welcome? Provide examples of leadership you show in interactions with clients, vendors, contractors, staff and others.

Joy Sushi is creating a sustainable and healthy workplace in the food industry by demonstrating leadership for women and their employees. Joy Sushi has shown leadership for women by creating job opportunities for mothers in our community. I realized that many mothers want to work but face challenges finding jobs that align with their children’s school hours. The mothers I have met prefer to work only in the mornings so they can care for their children in the afternoons. As a co-owner, I understand this because I've been there myself. Coming from an immigrant family, both of my parents worked tirelessly under any circumstances, neglecting their children because they couldn't leave their jobs. Joy Sushi’s hiring practice is to offer work opportunities to immigrant mothers while their children are in school. I understand the difficulties they face without relatives to care for their kids, and I don't want them to go through what I've experienced. Not only that, I'm a trustworthy leader, I believe that being in a leadership role requires action, not just holding a title. Therefore, I take on more than my duties. I insist on helping my employees by voluntarily assisting and stepping in quickly if they struggle with their tasks. Sometimes, my staff encounter difficulties dealing with obnoxious customers. I promptly address these situations because I've been there, too. Based on my experience, I understand their challenges and want to support my employees in resolving them. With nine years of experience, I am capable of handling various situations. Joy Sushi empowers mothers to contribute to their families, and I am a dependable person whom my employees can rely on.

Why do you think you should win the Premier’s People’s Choice Award?

I deserve to win the Premier’s People’s Choice Award because over nine years of operation, my business has consistently provided excellent service and supported the community in many ways. The love and support from both my local community and beyond for Joy Sushi speak volumes. Joy Sushi has proven results that the community loves us; there are professional achievements. Joy Sushi has good customer reviews, and awards from third-party companies. In 2017 and 2019, my store was awarded the "People Love Us on Yelp" award, given to restaurants with the highest ratings and best reviews. Since my store started working with third-party delivery platforms, we have been recognized as a top-rated restaurant. Every month, we are on "Top Eats" on Uber Eats, with a 10 out of 10 rating on Skip the Dishes, and "Most Loved" on DoorDash. Third-party companies give awards and recognition to restaurants that meet strict criteria set by the delivery platforms. In 2022, my store was selected as a "Most Loved All-Star," one of the top 3,000 restaurants across the US, Canada, and Australia. My store achieved Most Loved status for at least 10 out of the 12 months. "Most Loved All-Star" is my proudest achievement; fewer than 1% of restaurants on the platform qualified. My store was the only Japanese restaurant in my city to receive this award, and it was only given once in 2022 as a one-year celebration of the most loved star on DoorDash. "Most Loved All-Star" is a rare award. Achieving an award and maintaining a good rating on a delivery platform requires great commitment, as it's evaluated every month. It's not just about the quality and taste of the food but also the accuracy in following customers' specific instructions. With nine years of operation, I know my regular customers well and can care for them attentively. Due to my dedication, my store has received these awards and positive customer reviews. Joy Sushi achieved excellent results in the competitive market through my efforts. Additionally, my response to the Business Impact Award highlights our dedication and impact.