Brands I’ve helped create
Restaurant consulting.
From concept to operations.
I help owners develop, open and improve restaurants, from the food, branding and space to staffing, costs and the systems behind the business. We focus on the support your restaurant needs.
01 / Japanese-style cocktail bar · Long Beach
An intimate bar, inspired by Tokyo.
02 / Modern Mexican · Long Beach
The shared-plate spirit of an izakaya. A modern Mexican restaurant.
03 / Sushi & Izakaya · El Segundo
Sushi izakaya. Seafood small plates. Raw bar.
04 / Vietnamese dining · Los Angeles
Pho, banh mi, and Vietnamese dining in Los Angeles.
05 / Neighborhood Taqueria · Redondo Beach
Birria tacos, burritos, and sides.
A selection of my restaurant projects.
Restaurant consulting
Let’s build a better restaurant.
I help owners plan new restaurants and improve existing ones, with practical work on the menu, brand, service and daily operations.
Let’s talk about your restaurantHands-on support
Find what’s holding your restaurant back.
I work with owners on menus, service, food costs, staff training, purchasing and inventory, HR and payroll processes, and the daily systems that keep a restaurant running. We identify priorities and put the changes into practice with your team.
01 Menu, service and food costs.
02 Staff training and day-to-day systems.
03 Practical changes based on what your restaurant needs.
Kevin Lee and Jesse Duron introduce Tokyo Noir on CBS LA. Play the segment to meet the people behind the bar.
About Us
Restaurant experience, English and Japanese.
TDG is Jesse Duron’s independent restaurant consultancy. He works across cuisines, with a specialty in Japanese dining and more than 20 years of restaurant experience.
Real restaurant experience.
Jesse’s experience comes from building, opening and running restaurants. He’s worked the floor, trained teams, developed menus and helped turn around struggling operations. Today, he brings that hands-on experience to the brands he owns and the restaurants he works with.
Clear English and Japanese.
Jesse helps make menus and service explanations clear for U.S. guests and Japanese teams.
For restaurants opening in the U.S.
Jesse helps teams plan menus, pricing, staffing and opening schedules for U.S. restaurants.
Selected Work
Our Work.
A selection of restaurants I’ve worked on.
Japanese-style cocktail bar / Long Beach
A little of Tokyo, in Long Beach.
Inspired by three to four Tokyo trips each year, Tokyo Noir brings an intimate bar feel to Long Beach. Jesse helped develop the restaurant from concept through opening, working with its chefs, partners and team to bring the food, drinks, space and guest experience together.
Japanese restaurant experience / Los Angeles
Hands-on restaurant turnaround.
Jesse helped turn around Hamasaku, a Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles.
Restaurant and bar context / Long Beach
The shared-plate spirit of an izakaya.
El Barrio Cantina brings the shared-plate spirit of an izakaya to a modern Mexican restaurant. Jesse helped shape the concept and food direction, pairing smaller dishes with a strong cocktail program in Long Beach.
Tokyo NoirPhotography & brand details+
Cocktail photography by Jesse Duron
More from the collection
Explore all six restaurants
Concepts and operations
How We Help.
Support from concept development and opening preparation to staff training, cost control and ongoing improvements. We agree on the work and fee before starting.
01 Concept and brand
Restaurant name, target guests, branding, photography and how the concept is explained.
02 Menu and pricing
Menu structure, signature dishes, ingredient sourcing and prices.
03 Service and beverage
Sake, shochu, whisky, cocktails, non-alcohol options, service steps, staff language, and training needs.
04 Opening and operations
Opening plans, staff training, purchasing, inventory, HR and payroll processes, and systems for ongoing improvements.
What you can expect
A plan you can put to work.
- An agreed plan with priorities, responsibilities and next steps.
- Practical work on menus, service, brand, space and business systems.
- Support through design decisions, opening preparation and operating improvements.
- Implementation with your team, within the agreed scope.
In the Spotlight
In the Spotlight.
Interviews with Jesse, restaurant openings, reviews and features.
LET’S TALK
Tell us what you are
opening or improving.
Get in touch through the contact form or by email.
Contact form ↗ info@tokyodininggroup.com