Industry Restaurants Website www.sarkujapan.com Founded 1987 | Number of locations 250+ | |
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Sarku Japan (known in some places as Sakkio Japan) is an American fast food chain specializing in Japanese cuisine such as teriyaki and sushi. Headquartered in Markham, Ontario, the chain has approximately 250 restaurants in 36 U.S. states, frequently in large shopping malls or storefront locations. The group was founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1987 where it opened its first store; by 1991, they had expanded to 25 locations in 8 states, and by 1999, had opened their 100th location. As of April 2002, the company is headquartered in Markham, Ontario.
"Sarku" does not mean anything in Japanese, and would be difficult for a Japanese person to pronounce, as Japanese does not contain any instances of R followed immediately by another consonant, with no vowel in between. The closest approximation would be サルク saruku. It is unknown how the brand got its name. It appears to be made up for North American consumers to sound Japanese despite no relation to the Japanese language.