Karaoke Kan operator B&V joins Nikujiru Tottsuan franchise to run Ikebukuro East Exit branch

B&V, the company behind the Karaoke Kan chain, has joined restaurant brand Gyoza Sakaba Nikujiru Tottsuan as a franchisee and will operate its Ikebukuro East Exit branch, opening on 26 October 2026. The brand is owned by double. The move brings a company with experience of running karaoke venues and other outlets into a restaurant franchise network. For Japan’s franchise community, it offers an example of how operational experience gained in another sector can be applied to a new outlet.

B&V to operate the Ikebukuro East Exit branch

The announcement was made on 26 October by double, the Osaka-based brand owner led by representative director Katsuya Matsui. B&V, which will operate the branch, is led by representative director Noriharu Watabe. The two companies say they aim to draw on their respective strengths to create a venue that becomes popular with customers in Ikebukuro, Tokyo.

Founded in 1983, B&V focuses on its nationwide karaoke business but also operates internet cafés and glamping facilities. The announcement highlighted its many years of experience running entertainment venues. Meanwhile, double operates more than 120 restaurants across Japan and has built up experience expanding restaurant businesses.

Under this arrangement, B&V is joining the Nikujiru Tottsuan franchise network and operating a new branch. The announcement does not involve co-locating a restaurant with Karaoke Kan or introducing joint services across the two brands. The key point is that an established venue operator is taking on a restaurant as a franchisee of another brand.

The companies have indicated that they intend to use the partnership to support further expansion of Nikujiru Tottsuan. However, the Ikebukuro East Exit branch is the only B&V-operated location identified in this announcement. No figures or timetable have been given for further openings by B&V.

An izakaya brand developed alongside expansion into Kanto

Double launched Nikujiru Tottsuan in September 2023, when it expanded into Kanto, the region that includes Tokyo. According to the announcement, the Ikebukuro East Exit branch is the brand’s 15th location in Kanto. This regional brand total is distinct from double’s company-wide figure of more than 120 restaurants across Japan.

The brand’s concept is ‘affordable, fast, tasty and stylish’. It aims to combine the welcoming atmosphere of a traditional neighbourhood izakaya — a Japanese pub serving food — with dishes, interiors and service suited to contemporary tastes. The Ikebukuro East Exit branch will similarly seek to become a popular local pub through accessible prices, food and service.

Double says the brand achieves average monthly sales of ¥400,000 per tsubo, a Japanese unit of floor area equivalent to approximately 3.3 square metres, even at premises above ground level. However, this is a brand performance figure reported by the company, not a sales result for the newly opened Ikebukuro East Exit branch. Sales and profit are also different measures, so this figure alone cannot establish the profitability of a new outlet or its franchisee.

Prospective franchisees should avoid treating overall outlet numbers or brand-level sales metrics as forecasts for an individual location. They need to check which outlets and results underpin any comparison, taking account of differences in location and premises.

An Ikebukuro opening aimed at a broad customer base

Double describes the area around Ikebukuro’s east exit as a concentration of shopping facilities, restaurants and entertainment venues, attracting students, office workers and tourists. The branch is intended to serve customers eating after work or shopping, friends meeting for a meal, and groups holding parties.

The venue will reflect the brand’s aim of being an informal pub that customers can drop into easily and want to return to. The central theme of the announcement is the combination of B&V’s venue-management experience with double’s established restaurant brand.

Even so, the recruitment of an experienced franchisee should be distinguished from results at the new outlet. At the opening-announcement stage, the information provided covers the operator, the aims of the opening and the brand’s characteristics. It does not establish customer numbers, sustained sales or profitability at the Ikebukuro East Exit branch.

When discussing this case within the franchise community, the focus should remain on the verifiable fact that a company with venue-management experience in another sector has joined the network. Specific operating methods or benefits for customer acquisition should not yet be treated as proven.

Opening promotions have deadlines and eligibility conditions

The Ikebukuro East Exit branch also announced several limited-time opening offers. An all-you-can-eat-and-drink package featuring a winter-only spicy jjigae hotpot will be available until 20 November at prices starting from ¥2,980, compared with the usual ¥3,980. Seasonal oyster dishes also feature in the opening promotion.

From 26 October to 12 November, an all-you-can-eat-and-drink package covering almost all of the signature dishes will be reduced from ¥3,500 to ¥2,750, limited to five groups per day. A separate drinks promotion will run from Sunday to Thursday during the same period, reducing the standard unlimited-drinks package from ¥1,408 to ¥555 and the premium package from ¥1,738 to ¥777.

These opening offers have different restrictions on dates, days of the week and the number of eligible groups. They should therefore be considered separately from regular pricing. Anyone planning a visit should also check with the branch which conditions apply to their preferred package.

This opening provides a concrete example of an established venue operator joining a restaurant franchise. For prospective franchisees assessing such an opportunity, the practical priorities are to examine not only the operator’s experience but also each outlet’s financial terms and the division of responsibilities between franchisee and franchisor. Brand-level performance figures, opening promotions and an individual outlet’s sustained results should be assessed separately.