President Siddique’s Life Transformation After 26 Years in Japan and Overcoming Bankruptcy

On November 1, a splendid ceremony was held on the second floor of Tokyo Tower, nestled in Foot Town, surrounded by restaurants and souvenir shops. The occasion was the grand opening of the Pakistani restaurant “Siddique Palace.”

Mian Ramzan Siddiq (52), the president of Washin Trading, which operates the restaurant, took the stage in front of the Pakistani ambassador and the president of Tokyo Tower. As a naturalized Pakistani in Japan, he greeted the guests in fluent Japanese.

“The heart of Japan is Tokyo, and Tokyo’s heart is Tokyo Tower. I never imagined I’d have the chance to open a restaurant here, and I’m deeply grateful to everyone,” he expressed.

This milestone was significant for a company led by a foreign-born president, marking its entry into a major Tokyo landmark that symbolizes Japan. However, Mian’s journey since arriving in Japan 26 years ago has been a challenging one.

A Journey to Japan
Mian arrived in Japan in 1995 with aspirations of pursuing trade. Growing up in Lahore, Pakistan, he was exposed to Japanese products, which were highly regarded in his home country. Cars, home appliances, and more were made in Japan, sparking his curiosity about importing these goods to Pakistan.

His father, involved in diverse businesses from bicycle parts manufacturing to real estate, instilled in him an entrepreneurial spirit. Mian had always envisioned starting his own business, and in 1995, he took the bold step of moving to Japan to make his dream a reality.

Early Struggles and Hard Work
Mian enrolled in a Japanese language school in Shibuya and took on part-time jobs to support himself. One of his first jobs was at a karaoke bar, frequented by sumo wrestlers and professional baseball players, which he recalls as a high-end lounge.

“What I learned during the day at school, I applied at my part-time job at night,” Mian says. His language skills improved, and after attending university, his entrepreneurial ambitions grew. Within just two years, he decided to start his own business.

“With the support of my part-time manager, I started the company with three partners—one Pakistani and one Indian.”

He opened his first Pakistani restaurant, “Siddique Palace,” in Shinjuku Gyoen, offering a taste of his homeland. Unfortunately, business didn’t take off as expected, and the restaurant ran a deficit of 920,000 yen in its first month.

Though two of his partners were ready to quit, Mian refused to give up. He and his younger brother, who had also moved to Japan, worked tirelessly, even sleeping in a car near the restaurant to save money. Mian continued working part-time at night to pay the cook’s salary, while managing the restaurant from morning until late at night.

“I was 26 at the time, so I was young and full of energy,” he recalls with a smile.

A Thriving Restaurant Chain
Thanks to his relentless dedication, the restaurant slowly became profitable. Over the next decade, the business expanded, and Mian opened 26 additional restaurants across Tokyo. His success was recognized in the media, cementing his reputation as a successful foreign entrepreneur in Japan.

Challenges and Setbacks
However, in 2011, disaster struck. The Great East Japan Earthquake caused many of his Pakistani, Indian, and Nepalese cooks to return to their home countries. Fearing for their safety after seeing the devastation from the tsunami and radiation fears, many of his employees left, leaving the company with a significant workforce shortage.

“We had about 150 cooks, but 90 of them quit,” Mian explains.

To cope, they hired new cooks, but without experienced trainers, the restaurant’s signature flavors began to change. Customers started to leave, and the business was on the decline.

“That’s when we decided to establish a central kitchen,” Mian says.

A central kitchen would allow them to prepare meals in one facility and distribute them to the restaurants, maintaining consistent quality and improving efficiency. They repurposed a former junior high school cafeteria in Katsushika Ward to create this system. But with dwindling customers, the cost of maintaining the facility became a heavy burden.

A New Opportunity Amidst Struggles
During this time, a Japanese supplier approached Mian, asking if he could produce halal pouch meals to meet the growing demand for halal food in Japan. Seeing this as a potential opportunity, Mian borrowed money from the bank to increase production.

“I thought it was a good chance,” he recalls.

However, things didn’t go as planned. Despite his best efforts, the business began to falter. A significant setback came when a production error occurred with a batch of emergency food, rendering hundreds of thousands of meals unusable, causing major financial losses.

Mian’s journey has been a roller coaster of successes and failures, but his unwavering determination and resilience have brought him to where he is today: a successful businessman with a restaurant in one of Tokyo’s most iconic locations.

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Experienced bankruptcy in 26 years in Japan “President Siddique” reversed life – Livedoor News