April 19, 2019, 10:47 AM 
The restaurant game in Singapore is tough.
A combination of relatively high rentals, and jockeying for attention and customers can many times prove to be too much for owners.
Tony Young, who set up Misato, knows that pricey cost all too well.
In a terrific interview with Seth Lui, the self-taught chef gave insights into the difficulties in starting up a restaurant, and his reasoning behind keeping it going.
Fresh and nice, but think about the price
Throughout the interview with Seth Lui, Young seemed rather adamant on the uncompromising quality he wished to achieve.
All the ingredients, save things like chicken or prawns, are shipped in from Japan.
Which Young will be the first to admit, is a costly endeavour.
Perhaps a big portion of the cost goes into the furniture as well, which he told Seth Lui is 110% from Japan.
In fact, the tableware itself apparently costs S$400,000.
Location, staff, and quality
Young also mentioned issues of location as a constant problem through his years in the food and beverage business.
In the video, he mentioned how being a relatively un-famous name hampered his eatery's ability to get into shopping malls that might have had higher human traffic.
Issues of staff shortages and trouble finding Singaporean staff was also cited by Young as one of the problems he faced.
What isn't a problem though, is Young's dedication to quality.
The video goes on to show how carefully he prepares his food from scratch.
Here are some of their delicious-looking fare.
And the thing is, all the reviews on the place have been consistent on a few things, the food is great, and relatively affordable as well.
Image from Misato
Which might seem like a tough way to make money in a business.
And it turns out, it is.
Losses
Young told Seth Lui that the business has taken its toll on him, both financially and mentally.
He has apparently suffered S$2.2 million of losses on Misato so far.
Screenshot from Seth Lui
And his mental health has suffered as a result of all these issues.
But here's the interesting thing, when Young touched on the possibility of folding the business, it is not in relation to the mental toll, staff shortages, location difficulties, or even the financial strain.
It is his fear that the quality of his food will dip.
Respect.
Here's the full video.
Location: Misato
176 Orchard Road #01-33E
The Centrepoint Singapore 238843
You can read the review here.
Images from Seth Lui
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