Czech duo behind L'Osteria now brings Sticks'n'Sushi to Prague

Jan Dedíček and Zbyněk Pokorný are the entrepreneurs who successfully built the L'Osteria pizzeria chain in Czechia, with revenue of around half a billion crowns, and are now taking on a new project: this autumn, Prague will see the first Czech branch of the Danish-Japanese chain Sticks'n'Sushi, which combines sushi, skewers, fish and grilled meat.

The partners describe their collaboration vividly: one of them is like a hurricane sweeping away everything in its path, while the other is calmer and keeps his partner “grounded.” That, they say, is how they arrive at the best business decisions. The duo met almost ten years ago, when L'Osteria’s German owners were looking for someone to launch the brand in the former Eastern Bloc. Dedíček, an experienced entrepreneur in construction, brought Pokorný onto the project — and the partnership clicked.

The idea for Sticks'n'Sushi came from Henry McGovern, head of the private equity group McWin Capital Partners, which two years ago became the majority owner of the Sticks'n'Sushi brand as well as L'Osteria’s parent company. McGovern, who lives in Czechia, suggested that Dedíček and Pokorný bring the concept to Prague. The partners did not respond to the idea at first, but after meeting the chain’s CEO, Andreas Karlsson, and personally touring six of the chain’s restaurants in London in 14 hours, they were won over.

“I was so impressed that on the way back I kept thinking — how is it possible that we still don’t have a restaurant like this in Prague,” Dedíček admits. Pokorný, for his part, was drawn to the well-thought-out business model: the chain’s menu is designed for European tastes and isn’t built around sushi alone, which makes the concept versatile and able to reach a broad audience — much like how L'Osteria works.

The first Prague Sticks'n'Sushi will open on Jungmannovo Square in the city center. The partners are confident that despite fierce competition in Prague’s dining scene, the city still lacks a quality Japanese restaurant in this format. Their group currently runs five L'Osteria restaurants in Czechia, and the new project is meant to repeat the Italian brand’s success — this time in a Japanese-Scandinavian guise.