NOBU: FROM AN AUTHOR'S RESTAURANT «MATSUHISA» TO THE INTERNATIONAL «NOBU HOSPITALITY» NETWORK

Abstract

The article investigates the strategic development of «Nobu Hospitality» through the transformation of the author's restaurant «Matsuhisa» into an internationally recognized hospitality company. The relevance of the research is determined by the increasing importance of strategic management in ensuring the long-term competitiveness of hospitality enterprises under conditions of globalization, growing international competition and changing consumer expectations. The experience of internationally successful hospitality brands demonstrates that sustainable competitive advantage is achieved through the integration of strategic management decisions rather than through the quality of individual products or services alone. The aim of the research is to identify and systematize the strategic managerial factors that enabled the evolution of «Matsuhisa» into «Nobu Hospitality», as well as to generalize the principles underlying the formation of its contemporary business model and long-term international success. The research employs historical, systemic, comparative and structural-functional methods together with the case study approach. The theoretical framework is based on strategic management theory, the resource-based view, competitive advantage theory, the concept of dynamic capabilities and contemporary hospitality management research. The findings demonstrate that the development of «Nobu Hospitality» resulted from the consistent implementation of four interconnected strategic managerial decisions: the formation of the business concept, strategic partnership, controlled international expansion and related diversification. Their integration enabled the creation of a sustainable business model based on effective utilization of tangible and intangible resources, corporate culture, quality management and brand development. The study proposes an original model of the strategic development of «Nobu Hospitality», explaining the sequence through which competitive advantages were accumulated and transformed into long-term international success. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the comprehensive interpretation of «Nobu Hospitality» as an international hospitality company through the integration of interconnected strategic managerial decisions. The practical significance of the research consists in the possibility of applying the proposed approach to the strategic development of restaurant enterprises, hospitality companies and international hotel and restaurant networks.