WE BUILT THE TABLE THAT WAS MISSING.
Japanese food in London had a gap. Millions of people — no Halal option worth knowing about. Yaki Ya! was built to change that. Halal by design. Japanese by soul. A table that was always missing — now open to everyone.
100% HALAL, NO SHORTCUTS
YOUR TASTE, YOUR WAY
ECO-FRIENDLY BY DESIGN
EAT TO FEED
FRESH, FAST & FRIENDLY
FIND US IN SAUDI ARABIA
VOTED. RECOMMENDED. LOVED.
ARTA WINNER
UBEREATS FINALISTS
RESTAURANT GURU
RESTAURANTJI
FOUNDER STORY.
Some founders build businesses to follow market trends.
Nazmul H Azad Mishu built Yaki Ya! because he refused to accept that millions of people could enjoy Japanese food—while halal diners remained excluded from the experience.
Known simply as “Mishu” to friends and team members, he is the founder behind Yaki Ya!, one of London’s growing Japanese fast-casual restaurant brands.
It is a concept built around a rare combination: uncompromising culinary inclusion, operational simplicity, and modern hospitality innovation.
Mishu often describes his entrepreneurial story as the “CCC Journey”—Classroom, Currency, and Curry.
This path took him from teaching students during his university years, into executive leadership within the finance and technology sectors, and eventually into building a scalable international restaurant brand that retains its local, independent soul.
Nazmul H Azad Mishu
Founder, Yaki Ya!
THE CCC JOURNEY.
CLASSROOM. CURRENCY. CURRY
The “CCC Journey” is the path that shaped Mishu’s approach to business.
Teaching students during university years.
Leadership roles in finance & technology.
Building an international restaurant brand.
From student life to boardrooms, and from late-night experiments in the kitchen to opening restaurants, this journey gave Mishu the perspective, skills and belief to build something different.
Not just another restaurant, but a business with purpose.
EDUCATION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
BUILT ON LEARNING.
Before Yaki Ya!, Mishu’s path was shaped by a deep interest in understanding people.
He holds a Master’s degree in Linguistics and an MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the University of Warwick, later attending executive programmes in Entrepreneurship and Disruption Strategy at Harvard Business School.
His academic background became the foundation of his entrepreneurial philosophy—combining behavioural thinking and strategic problem-solving with a deep respect for human connection.
During his early career in finance and tech, life looked stable on paper.
But deep down, Mishu believed entrepreneurship should do more than generate profit—it should solve real problems, create belonging, and build systems that genuinely improve people’s lives.
should solve real problems,
create belonging,
and improve people’s lives.
THE GAP THAT STARTED YAKI YA!.
That belief eventually led him to the UK food industry.
He noticed something surprisingly simple but deeply overlooked:
Japanese cuisine in the UK was booming, yet halal diners had virtually no access to premium, authentic Japanese hot-food experiences.
HALAL DINERS HAD VIRTUALLY NO ACCESS TO PREMIUM AUTHENTIC JAPANESE HOT FOOD.
That overlooked gap became the foundation of Yaki Ya!.
Not just another restaurant, but a brand built around inclusion.
Opening During The Storm.
FROM SURVIVAL TO GROWTH.
COVID-19 & DEVASTATING BLOW
Just four months after opening, the pandemic struck. For a newly opened restaurant, it was a devastating blow. Zero footfall. Mounting overheads. Disappearing savings. Yet, Mishu refused to abandon his people.
GROWING BEYOND EXPECTATIONS.
THE YAKI YA! INNOVATION HUB.
SCALING WITHOUT COMPROMISING QUALITY.
At the center of that growth is the Yaki Ya! Innovation Hub—a central production facility designed to handle complex prep, reduce kitchen dependency on specialized labor, and create a scalable franchise model.
Crucially, this system wasn’t built to replace the culinary craft, but to protect it.
By centralizing intricate scratch-cooking elements like authentic broths and marinades, local kitchen teams are freed up to focus entirely on serving fresh, high-quality ingredients cooked to order.
BUILT TO SCALE WITHOUT COMPROMISING QUALITY.
- AUTHENTIC BROTHS & MARINADES PREPARED CONSISTENTLY
- REDUCED DEPENDENCY ON SPECIALIST LABOUR
- PROTECTS CULINARY CRAFT WHILE ENABLING SCALE
- FRANCHISE-READY PLUG & PLAY SYSTEMS
- FRESH FOOD, COOKED TO ORDER
A SYSTEM DESIGNED NOT TO REPLACE THE CRAFT, BUT TO PROTECT IT.
SYSTEMS & SOUL.
For Mishu, the future of hospitality is a balance of systems and soul.
He utilized his background in disruption strategy not to cut corners, but to democratize premium dining—proving that fast-casual food can carry the same flavor profile and standards as a traditional sit-down restaurant.
UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP, YAKI YA! OPERATES ON THREE CORE PRINCIPLES:
FAST.
FRESH.
FRIENDLY.
SUSTAINABILITY & SOCIAL IMPACT.
The company also focuses heavily on sustainability and social impact, including environmentally conscious packaging, food distribution initiatives, and support for orphan-focused charities.
Rejecting traditional industry thinking, Mishu has built teams from diverse professional backgrounds—from analysts to creatives—believing that curiosity, attitude, and adaptability matter more than conventional hospitality experience.
RESILIENCE & PURPOSE.
Today, Mishu is increasingly recognized as a voice in resilience and purpose-driven entrepreneurship.
His founder-story sessions have included discussions at globally recognized institutions, including the University of Oxford, where he shares the gritty realities of building a business through uncertainty.
Yet despite the growth, Mishu still describes Yaki Ya! as “day one of a much bigger mission.”
Because while the business scales with mathematical precision, the goal remains remarkably human:
❝ STILL DAY ONE.
Day one of a much bigger mission.
Because while the business scales with mathematical precision, the goal remains remarkably human.
SERVING INCLUSION IN A BOWL.
