Earlier this year in January, Kura, a chain sushi restaurant, expanded to Skokie, creating a whole new experience for the North Shore. This restaurant creates a unique opportunity that sushi lovers will surely want to try. While sushi has a reputation as a higher-end cuisine, Kura is a more casual restaurant with a twist. Instead of waiters delivering food to the tables, the food arrives on conveyor belts. This creates a more interactive customer experience and an overall more fun environment.

Instead of customers ordering at their table, they are able to take whichever food is appealing to them from the conveyor belt. The machine counts the number of plates that the customer takes and calculates the total charge.

For anyone who has special requests, or just wants a full meal instead of small portions, there is a tablet where you can order off a set menu. This food will then come through a different conveyer belt.

When I ventured to Kura for the first time, this system was very smooth. It gave me the opportunity to start eating right away instead of waiting for my meals to arrive. While grabbing many plates can add up the total price quickly, it gives customers more control over how much they spend as they are paying for small portions instead of full meals. 

Even though the overall system was very smooth, it did not come without flaws. Often, plates of food would come around on the conveyor belt empty because tables before had already taken the food. While this was just a minor problem, it definitely might bother some customers. Luckily, they provide an easy fix since you can order these same sushi rolls off the menu. Along with this, they refill the conveyor belt after every revolution.

Not only is it a unique and effective ordering system, but the food does not disappoint. The sushi is great, but more importantly, Kura offers  a strong variety of food. 

There are numerous traditional options such as salmon, tuna, and California  rolls, along with nigiri and sashimi. 

Since the plates only come with four pieces, it is easy for customers to try many different sushi rolls. There are also other Japanese food options, mainly different meat dishes including beef skewers, chicken satay, and different soups. These options were solid, but they were not comparable to the sushi options. For a restaurant that heavily relies on the conveyor belt, the staff were extremely helpful guiding first time customers and helping with any difficulties when ordering food. 

Instead of your average sushi restaurant, Kura gives sushi enthusiasts a brand new experience. They ensure that customers will come back with more friends, as most people will want to share this experience with others. With very minimal flaws, Kura sushi brings some variety to the restaurant industry and is an example of the possible future of dining out.