Beyond Sushi Shark Tank Update – Shark Tank Season 10
Guy Vaknin Pitches Beyond Sushi: Expanding Vegan Sushi Across the USA. It appeared on Shark Tank Season 10 and landed a deal with Matt and Lori.
Guy Vaknin hopes the Sharks like Beyond Sushi, his New York City-based vegan sushi restaurant chain, in Shark Tank Season 10, Episode 3. Vaknin recently opened his sixth location in New York City in April. He started serving vegan sushi at the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival before opening his first brick-and-mortar restaurant in July 2012. Of his six current restaurants, only one is full-service; the rest are more fast-food/take-out places.
Check out other Shark Tank Season 10 episodes.
About Beyond Sushi
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Business Name | Beyond Sushi |
| Founder | Guy Vaknin |
| Industry | Restaurant, Vegan Cuisine |
| Product | Vegan sushi and plant-based cuisine |
| Funding | Secured an offer from Lori Greiner and Matt Higgins for $1.5 million for 30% of the west coast business and 15% of the east coast business (deal did not close) |
| Deal Status | Deal secured with Lori Greiner and Matt Higgins |
| Investment Asked | $1,500,000 for 25% equity (West) + 5% equity (East) |
| Deal Outcome | $1,500,000 for 30% equity (West) + 15% equity (East) |
| Valuation | $6 million (at the time of the Shark Tank pitch) |
Vaknin says about 40% of his clientele is NOT vegan, they just want healthy, plant-based cuisine. He credits his love of cooking to his Moroccan grandma, who taught him to cook with herbs and intense spices. A veteran of the Israeli Defense Force, Vadkin emigrated to the USA.
After a brief stint studying computer engineering, he realized food was his calling. He graduated from the Institute of Culinary Education in 2007 and was a contestant on Hell’s Kitchen in 2010. He and his wife, Tali, married in 2013 and have one son.
Chef Vadkin uses fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to make standards like sushi, dumplings, rice paper wraps, salads, and noodle soups. In just six years, Beyond Sushi has grown from a festival concept to six locations in New York City. Now, Vadkin wants to expand beyond the city, and he wants Shark’s help.
Are Sharks vegan?
Video
Posts about Beyond Sushi on Shark Tank Blog
Beyond Sushi Shark Tank Recap
A guy enters the Shark Tank seeking $1.5 million for 25% of his West Coast business and 5% of his East Coast business. He gives his pitch and explains his menu. He hands out three of his best-selling rolls. Lori says it looks amazing. The Sharks all like the food.
Eight pieces—a full roll—have 280 calories and sell for $7.50; they cost $1.50 to make. He currently has six locations all over Manhattan. His large location does $2.5 million per year. He has one big commissary kitchen that supplies all six locations.
In 2015, he partnered with the owner of Ruby Tuesday’s—Matt knows him—and that gentleman owns 25% of the East Coast business. Last year (2017), he did a total of $4 million in sales but lost $272,000 due to opening two large locations and building his commissary kitchen. In 2016, he did $2.4 million and netted $600,000. He’s projecting $5.6 million. Guy and Matt get into a discussion about restaurants using restaurant jargon.
Did Beyond Sushi Get a Deal on Shark Tank?
Daymond says he doesn’t understand the jargon, and for that reason, he’s out. Kevin thinks the valuation is insane; he’s out. Mark says his gut is telling him no; he’s out.
Matt and Lori decided to team up, but they wanted more East Coast businesses to offset the risks of the as-yet-unproven West Coast business. They offer $1.5 million for 30% of the West Coast business and 15% of the East Coast business. He agrees.
Beyond Sushi Shark Tank Update
The Shark Tank Blog constantly provides updates and follow-ups about entrepreneurs who have appeared on the Shark Tank TV show. The deal with Matt and Lori never closed. Guy declined the offer in the due diligence phase. He never opened any West Coast restaurants. At its peak, the company had seven locations.
Guy, like many restaurateurs in New York, had challenges during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. He tried negotiating rents with his landlords, and he did so successfully. Even so, he is down to four locations.
As of June 2021, he’s back open and hoping things get back to pre-pandemic levels. By May 2022, he was back in the groove with his four Beyond Sushi locations, a catering business, and three new restaurants: Anixi, a Mediterranean restaurant; Coletta, a vegan Italian restaurant; and Willow, a kosher vegan restaurant.
In October 2023, Vaknin was voted Best Vegan Chef, and Beyond Sushi was voted Best Vegan Restaurant by VegNews.
By August 2024, he had reduced his empire to 2 Beyond Sushi locations. The other 3 restaurants are still open. Annual revenue across all properties is $6 million. As of 2025, Beyond Sushi’s estimated net worth is $10 million.
Where Can You Buy It?
Beyond Sushi products are available on their official website and on Amazon. For more recent updates, check out their social media pages, Facebook and Twitter.
Quick Summary
- Guy Vaknin pitched Beyond Sushi on Shark Tank, seeking $1.5 million for 25% of his West Coast business and 5% of his East Coast business.
- Beyond Sushi offers vegan sushi and plant-based cuisine with six locations in New York City.
- Despite initial interest, the deal with Lori Greiner and Matt Higgins never closed.
Interested to know about the other businesses that appeared on Shark Tank Season 10 Episode 3? Check their business updates!
