Japanese restaurant chain St Pierres Sushi has opened its first drive-thru takeaway outlet.
Drive-thru sushi outlets are popular in Japan and California, but the experience on Onehunga’s Neilsen St New Zealand is the first to be purpose-built in New Zealand.
The concept has been on the drawing board since 2016, but a series of challenges – not the least of which was identifying a suitable site – caused delays.
And then Covid arrived, St Pierre’s director Nick Katsoulis explained in an interview published on Newshub, leading to delays in construction.
“Finally, though, we’re ready to go.”
Customers can order and pay for their meals at a drive-up counter. Orders off a standard menu are prepared in less than a minute, with customised orders, including drinks, in only three.
St Pierres has 65 restaurants around the country, with 33 of those in Auckland. The business was founded in 1984 as a fish retailer, with the first store in Wellington.
St Pierre’s is the French name for the famous New Zealand fish John Dory. The name also translates to St Peter, who was the Patron Saint of Fisherman.
