 When these people, after they eat, they'll come up to you. Your food is really good. Your food is really good. You have the best poke in town. Makes my day. Every day. In the last few years, poke has taken the world by storm. Poke also an authentic Hawaiian dish where they dice up fresh fish and tons of topping into a bowl of massive goodness. It is especially popular in Vancouver because of our healthy lifestyle. We have the beautiful mountains, the beautiful ocean, and also that crazy good healthy lifestyle that we enjoy. Today I'm going to bring you behind the scenes to the Poke Guy, one of the most famous best poke in Vancouver and show you guys the secret sauce behind the scenes. Let's get going. The Poke Guy is located in prime real estate in downtown Vancouver. One of the most expensive places in the world. The Poke Guy opens from 11 am to 8 pm and their main clientele are business people wanting a fresh option for lunch. How are you? I'm really really good today. Thank you. Thanks so much for your time and doing this. Honestly, it means a lot because this is our first segment and to be able to interview my high school friend, the one that I grew up with is definitely very very exciting and it's definitely my honor. So thank you. What do you mean by high school friend? Well, no, we're friends now. We're brothers, okay? Okay, thank you. Yeah, yeah. Let's cut right to the chase. Why poke? What does poke even mean actually? Well, poke is actually like the main dish of native Hawaiian food. When I tried it, I was like, wow. You know, it's fresh. You know, the time I eat more, the more I want to eat more, right? So why not bring poke to Vancouver? But I realize, you know, like Vancouver, it's more like a health conscious society, right? So people want more veggie in it. Traditional way, they don't have that much veggie. Okay, to be honest, okay? They, you know, it's loaded with max salad, rice, carbs, right? And fish, okay? That's amazing because like I've been to Hawaii too and I'm definitely gravitated by how fresh the fish is. And in Vancouver, there's nothing that is that fresh. Everything is like super marinated, a lot of mayo and stuff like that. So when I actually tried the poke guy, I fell in love because of how fresh the fish is. And something that is really, really unique about your restaurant is also that you source ocean-wise fish. What does it even mean? Because it's a really big deal that you guys use ocean-wise fish. So ocean-wise is like a program that supports sustainable fishing. So to be ocean-wise certified, you just need to buy a sustainable source. Make sure that their fish are all ocean-wise certified. It will cost a bit more, but then it's worth it. The quality is better, you're helping the world. And I'm sure people will know. Once they taste our poke, they'll know like, oh well, okay, this is different. Hey, Alex! How's me and Ahi? This is a loin. Ahi loin. So as you can see, there's a label of ocean-wise. That's how you know this fish is actually certified. Do we get to eat this right now? Yeah, for sure. Let's go. Let's cut it up. Now, when it comes to the menu, the poke guy definitely delivers a ton of value. Considering the freshness and the quality of the fish that they offer and an average order price of only $15, the poke guy is definitely one of the prime choices for lunch in downtown Vancouver. Okay, so I'm going to show you where we prep the fish. Nice, that's where the magic is, right? That's the secret sauce. Yeah, that's correct. So this is Alex, alright? The other poke guy, the big guy. So as you can see, he's cutting a wild sockeye salmon. How many of these guys do you guys go through a day? Oh, Alex. About 30 pounds. Yeah. 30 pounds of fish every single day. And so you have to skin it like that? Yeah, this to Nick, you know, it's not easy. It looks easy, but then it's actually, you know, have to be, you know, skillful. The plate is always like laid under the skin. Mmm. And that's where, you know, all the fishy taste, that's why we have to like sacrifice a little bit of the meat, you know. You also have like the fresh quality taste. Mmm, right, right, right. Can I try? Do you want to try? I want to try. Yeah, sure. You know, beautiful. Latex free. Beautiful. Sloth. Yeah, yeah. Latex free gloves. Well, it wasn't you. Wash your hands beforehand. I did, yeah. I went to wash them. Okay. Wash your hands, right? I did. Sanitize, you know, very important. Okay. Oh, beautiful. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Teach me what, what do I do right now? So basically, I would do one for you. Yeah. So I would slide, hold it. Yeah. So just hold it gently. Okay. Oh. I would do the second one for you. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Okay. So like this. Oh, wow. Okay. How am I doing? Yeah, you are doing great. Okay. Are you going to hire me? Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. So I can rotate it? Okay. Beautiful. Yeah. You will go slightly. Oh. Okay. Okay. Okay. So is this different cutting? Yeah. Now it's different cutting. Skill. Because right now it is in strip. So you have to apply another technique. Oh. So there's a lot of technique when it comes to cutting a fish, guys. So your fish is always fresh? Yes. How often do you have to cut the fish? Every day. Every day? Every morning. Every morning. We cut the fish every morning. Until we sell out. And then you're like done. That's why you guys sell out. Yeah. So we do like estimate like on average how much we sell. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Cut too much. But all of that. Just enough. Okay. I'm going to let you be because I want you to like actually have enough fish too. To sell today. Okay. So Wilson, I'm going to build a bowl with you, right? I'm building a bowl myself. So is there any special way of making the rice? Well, you're Asian. I'm Asian. You don't have to make rice? I'm just kidding. No. So what we do is we use triple A, sushi, rice. Okay. Let's build our own bowl. Now it's free for all. Yeah. But then when you scoop it, you scoop by balls. By balls. Yeah. By balls and put it side by side. So how do you even calculate the cost of this? Do you actually calculate like? Yeah. Every scoop has individual weight. Once you find out the weight, you have a price. Right. You know, per pound and you know, you do the math. Oh. So you guys have like everything portioned out by scoop sizes. Yeah. Are you helping me save money or what? Why so little? See what? Yeah. I am actually helping you save money. You know what? You have to make a bowl. That looks like amazing. So we can actually, you know, sit down and chat a little bit more. Okay. You make your own bowl. That's like amazing. Ta-da. My masterpiece guys. Wow. That actually looks pretty good. Thank you. Thank you. I am glad that I have a job now. And the beauty about the Poké Guy is that the initial investment is substantially lower than traditional restaurants, ranging from only $200,000 to $300,000. Now the reason that's the case is because they don't require sophisticated equipment such as hooded fans and grills. That's also the reason why they can run with much less staff, typically ranging from only three to five staff per shift. So for your secret sauce, in terms of like getting people through the doors, what are some of the tactics or strategies that you used? Just some. Be honest, you know, serve what you are serving, you know, like quality, okay? Fresh, you know, always fresh, always quality, always, you know, sustainable, you know, like ocean wise, you know, like fish is not over fish, right? So our fish, they don't go overnight. You know, when they are out, they are sold out, okay? We don't, you know, keep cutting or over produce and then live in the fresh for the next day or no, we don't do that. So it's always this fresh. And that's part of the reason that you guys are so successful is because of the fact that, you know, it's such a big struggle because when you're in the food business and you only prepare so much and that when you sell out, you're missing opportunity to make more money. So you sacrifice that at your own cost, right? I'm sure people know it, right? People know, right? Like sometimes, of course, Vancouver, sometimes it rains, right? So when it rains, you know, we don't get as much business as predicted, right? So what do we do with, you know, leftover food, right? Option one, we can throw it away. Option two, you know, give it to, you know, employees to take home. Option three, sometimes, you know, homeless, right? People with needs, right? So we, you know, fix them a bowl, right? That's awesome. That is so awesome. So I guess like... Better than wasting food, right? Totally. And I think like for you, the part of the reason why you're so successful that you kind of put everything together is that you're super authentic and that you just believe that putting all your effort into making the right bowl and your heart into it, that your customers will see it and that's how you bring people through the doors. For sure. I'm sure they know. I'm sure, like, once they taste it, yo, this is fresh. Right. So you're not cutting any corners whatsoever? No, no, no. Be honest. Be honest. Yeah. Wow. You know, as a chef, right, when you prepare a meal and you see the customer, right, when they eat it, they're like, you know, they have a good smile on their face or like they start nodding, you know, you know, they're happy, right? That makes me happy just by watching people eating, right? Imagine when these people, after they eat, they'll come up to you, you know, your food is really good. Yeah. Your food is really good. You know, you have the best poke in town. Right. Oh, makes my day. Every day. Every day. Everyone tells you that. Yeah. So that's why like, am I tired? No. I'm tired of those compliments. Makes me happy. Actually, no one's speaking of which. Do share with me one more of your strategy. That's like your secret. It's just one secret. Well, it's not really a strategy. It's just common sense. Be grateful of your customer, you know, like, have good customer service. There you go. What do you mean by... Because I always believe, like, if I go to a restaurant, I expect to get good service, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Even though, like, if that restaurant has good food, the service is bad, I wouldn't go. That's my view. Right. So I want my restaurant, you know, food is good, service is good. That's it. That's it. It's simple, straightforward, you know? Yeah. I think that's what a lot of people miss, is that they think doing a restaurant is difficult. It is difficult, but then the basics, right? Coming back down to the basics, having good customer service. Yeah. Straightforward, you know, simplicity is the key. And I know that you have much bigger plans. You always share with me about your plans, and it doesn't only stop with Poké. Tell me what's in the works for you and Alex, the Poké guys. You know, we plan to expand Poké guy to across Lower Mainland. Right, nice. So within this year, like next year. Yeah, yeah. Next year, and then hopefully see where it leads, right? Right. And also we also have all the projects in mind. Right, right. Other cuisines, right? All the cuisines, yeah. But stay tuned, you'll find out soon, yeah. That's awesome. Do you have any final words for our viewers? No, just, you know, enjoy the Poké, you know, have some aloha spirit, you know? Nice, nice, nice. Thank you, Richard. So there you go, guys. But behind the scenes, the secret sauce of one of the hottest Poké shops in Vancouver, the Poké guy. With Richard's philosophy and running a successful restaurant is all about being authentic and having huge passion. I really hope you guys enjoyed this. Make sure you guys stay tuned for the next episode of The Secret Sauce.