Wil Andruschak

You flash your knives at your restaurant customers — why do you do that?

It’s my communication tool. If I have a knife, no one will refuse to talk to me; everybody jokes and laughs with me, right? It’s to scare them to make them happy.

I’ve seen you in action and sometimes you force men to say beautiful, loving words to their women.

Every day. Every customer.

Why do you do that?

In Canada, more than 50 per cent of marriages end up in divorce. So, there must be something missing, so when they come to Kinjo I tell the men to tell women, “You are the most beautiful woman in the world,” and “I love you and I’m the luckiest, soon-to-be rich white boy.” That way, maybe they won’t get divorced. Who knows?

You’re a relationship healer.

Yeah. I tell them all the time, “I am cheaper than any lawyer or marriage counsellor. If you have a problem, just call me, no charge, because I have a bigger knife.”

You also hand out chocolates after the meal.

I spend $7,000 to $8,000 on the Poky chocolate every month. I give it to children and tell them to say to their mother and father, “You are the best parents any child could have. I study very hard and clean my room.” I use my chocolate and my knife for them to say that.

You pull your knife out on children?

Oh yeah, all the time. I tell them you have to say this and if you do, I’ll give you chocolate, but if you are so bad, I’ll shave half of your head. But if the kids are scared of the knife, I won’t do it. I don’t want kids to cry.

How long have you had your restaurant on Macleod Trail?

Almost five years.

Do you pull your knife out on your wife?

No, she pulls out the knife. She had a two-by-four with nails sticking out — that’s how she trained me. You should see my butt — all the wounds and scratches.

Do you know martial arts?

Yeah, I’m from the area in Japan where the Karate Kid came from. So, in my country, everybody knows how to do karate. I’m 57 now and I was raised in a village with 500 people and it had three karate gyms.

Do you have a black belt?

Yes. My friend who I came to Canada with 37 years ago, he has a ninth degree black belt and he teaches in Lethbridge. When I came here with $35 in my pocket, the only words I knew were: “I love you.” I had lots of girls because I kept telling them: “I love you.”

What’s your favourite sushi?

Wow! It’s hard to say because we have 10 to 12 fish and serve 50 selections of sushi in our restaurant.

What else do you do in your restaurant?

I teach people to make sushi. I teach almost 2,000 people so far. I tell them sushi is so good because it’s fresh. Our ancestors one million years ago, we did not use the fire, we ate everything raw.

During your classes, do you drink lots of saki?

I provide a lot because hot saki makes people hot and excited. That’s why there’s so much population in Japan. People are happy. I love it, too.

How did you get into the business?

This is my 32 nd restaurant. I started Edo Japan and had 25 of them. I was the president.

You must be a rich man.

At that time, yes. I had a partner who I couldn’t get along with, so I sold my share of the company. I took the money to Las Vegas and tried to make it double. This was a big mistake.

Did you lose it all?

I had to start all over again. I went to Los Angeles and opened up two places, then when I came back to Calgary, I said, “I’m tired of being in fast food. I want a restaurant.”

How has business been since the recession?

Every year, I make more. The first year I opened, I made $800,000. The second year, $1.5 million. The next year, $2 million. The fourth year, $2.4 million. And the last year, $2.7 million. Right now, I have 65 seats and I have 350 customers a day. What I believe is that if the employees are happy, I have success. My top five, I pay them double than any other Japanese restaurant.

How many sushi chefs do you have?

Right now, 12.

Do you listen to music?

Yeah, any musical, like West Side Story, The Sound of Music. I’m going to Fiddler on the Roof.

Do you play CDs?

Yes, everything except country.

When will you retire?

I’ve been thinking about that. When I’m 90, I will part retire. I’m now 57 and kicking hard.