Mitchan Souhonten will be participating in the "MAZDA FAN FESTA" event in Shizuoka Prefecture! Here's what went on behind the scenes!

Overview of MAZDA FAN FESTA

*This article is an excerpt from the YouTube channel of "Hiroshima Okonomiyaki Mitchan Sohonten [Official]".

The "MAZDA FAN FESTA" that Mitchan Souhonten will be participating in this time is a participatory brand experience event that Mazda holds every year in various locations around the country. It is a program that can be enjoyed by a wide range of generations, including gatherings of Mazda fans, interactions with developers, and content for kids.

The 2024 event will have a section selling various products representative of Hiroshima, in honor of Hiroshima prefecture, where Mazda's headquarters are located. In one corner, there will also be a booth for Mitchan Sohonten!

[October 18, 2024] Setting up and preparing the venue

At Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture, the staff of Mitchan Souhonten were setting up the venue in preparation for the next day's event. They had to set up a kitchen with their own hands and get the place ready for business.

Joining the event with the second-generation owner, Iune Mitsuo, were Hideshima, the manager of the Jizo Street store, and Kimura, the manager of the Orizuru Tower store. This was Kimura's first time participating in an event. He was in charge of all the preparations, including preparing the ingredients, arranging the containers, and securing accommodation. All the participating staff worked together to get everything ready, and the setup was completed in about an hour!

After that, they start preparing the food for the next day. "Our main goal is to let people who have never tried Hiroshima okonomiyaki know the taste," says Manager Hideshima.

[October 19, 2024] First day of the event

And finally the day of the event arrived.

[7:53] Arrive at the venue

The staff of Mitchan Souhonten also arrived at the venue and started preparing together. In order to convey the taste of Hiroshima okonomiyaki, they prepared the same ingredients used in their restaurant.

[9:23] Cooking begins

With everything ready, the cooking finally began on the first day! The second generation chef himself showed off his skills, making Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki one after another. And outside the booth, a line had already formed!

[9:40am] Sales start

Sales began ahead of schedule, and many customers who purchased okonomiyaki munched on them hungrily in the eat-in space set up in front of the booth.

Even though the staff were busy working, they seemed to be interested in the customers' reactions. "I bought it because I was attracted by the good smell" and "The sweet sauce is delicious" - the customer response seems to be very good. As time passed, the line grew longer and longer, and 20 minutes after opening, there was a long line of about 70 people...!

[12:52] Sales end

The line continued, and the staff continued making okonomiyaki without a break. Sales were higher than they expected, and the staff's faces were beaming with joy.

Then, at 12:52, three hours and 20 minutes after opening, all the ingredients prepared for the day had been used up and sales for the first day came to an end.

The staff seemed to have mixed feelings about the fact that the okonomiyaki sold out much faster than expected. They sold about 250 okonomiyaki that day, but they plan to start a little earlier tomorrow to try to reduce the waiting time for customers.

[October 20, 2024] Event Day 2

The second day of the event has begun!

[8:00] Entrance gate opens

Many people gathered at the venue as the doors opened at 8am. Preparations were also underway at the Mitchan Souhonten booth. On the second day of business, they made some improvements based on what they had learned from the first day. That improvement was to serve half-sized okonomiyaki. Apparently, the staff discussed it and decided on this in order to please as many customers as possible with limited ingredients.

While preparations for the opening are progressing smoothly, there is one thing that is a bit worrying... The temperature on the second day is lower than on the first day, and the weather is chilly. However, customers keep asking, "What time can I buy it from?" and it seems that there is a lot of interest in the second day.

[9:00] Start cooking

And cooking on the second day began! It started 30 minutes earlier than the first day. Just like the first day, customers started to gather as soon as cooking began. Okonomiyaki were made one after another to serve to many customers.

[9:25] Sales start

By the time sales began, a long line had formed. In the eat-in area, many customers were munching on the okonomiyaki with gusto, showing that it was just as popular as the day before.

However, as many customers waited in line, a light rain started to fall. But the line continued to grow. In order to shorten the waiting time even a little, the staff continued to make okonomiyaki without stopping. Because the outdoor eat-in space could not be used due to the rain, an eat-in space was quickly set up inside a tent.

[13:18] Sales end

Two hours after opening, the rain got heavier and the line for hot okonomiyaki grew even longer, reaching the longest of the day. The staff tried to clear the queue, but the fatigue from the past two days was starting to show...

Then the weather improved and there was only a little food left. Then at 1:18pm, all the food was sold out except for the customers who were currently waiting in line!

On this day, Mitchan Souhonten served about 600 servings of okonomiyaki. About 300 okonomiyaki were made. Although there were some issues along the way, such as bad weather and a shortage of ingredients, the event was completed safely, and the store manager, Kimura, looked relieved.

"I want to continue holding more events to promote Hiroshima okonomiyaki," said the second generation owner.

Mitchan Souhonten opens stalls at many events both in and outside Hiroshima Prefecture!

This time, we reported on Mitchan Souhonten's stall at the "MAZDA FAN FESTA" event held at Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture. Mitchan Souhonten's challenge to spread Hiroshima okonomiyaki will continue in the future. They also set up stalls at many events both in and outside Hiroshima Prefecture, so if you see them, be sure to visit them.

▶Click here to watch the YouTube video "【Close-up】A complete look behind the scenes at the Shizuoka event!"

▶Click here for the YouTube channel of "Hiroshima Okonomiyaki Mitchan Sohonten [Official]"