Popular Japanese-themed restaurant Sapporo has offered ‘fire, flavour and theatre’ to Liverpool diners for 22 years and now the venue says it is raising its digital game. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool restaurant Sapporo has launched a new website and loyalty programme as it looks to evolve after 22 years in the city.

Sapporo, which also operates in Manchester, is located on Duke Street in the city centre and has been offering diners “fire, flavour and theatre” with its Japanese menu and its theatrical chefs.

Now the owners of the restaurant have invested to ensure it keeps “teppanyaki alive in Liverpool for the next 20 years and beyond”.

They note the accelerating trend towards people booking on their mobile phone. Despite this, many restaurants still offer websites that can be clunky and difficult to use on smaller devices.

Carl Pugh, operations director at Sapporo, told LBN: “We are seeing clear trends around last-minute and mobile-first booking and we wanted to design a new website that made booking as seamless as possible for customers.

“It’s clear that people are increasingly booking on the go and much closer to the moment.”

Carl offered stats which showed around 80% of Sapporo’s web traffic comes via mobile devices and more than a third of all bookings are made within 12 hours of dining.

“Launching the new website has been a big step for us,” he added. “After 22 years in Liverpool, we wanted to modernise the way guests discover and book Sapporo, especially at a time when people expect everything to be quick and seamless on their phone.

“We’ve seen more companies looking for something different for their Christmas celebrations, and the teppanyaki experience really brings teams together. The new site makes it easier than ever for groups to find the right package and get booked in.”

Sapporo’s new loyalty programme is designed to reward guests from their very first visit. As a welcome offer, members receive £10 off their first booking, along with an ongoing 5% saving on all future visits.

READ MORE: Merseyrail card and phone ‘tap & go’ set to go live

READ MORE: Liverpool quiz attraction creates new jobs

Loyalty customers also receive a complimentary bottle of wine on their birthday and can earn points every time they dine, which can be converted into credit to spend in the restaurant.

VIP members will also be the first to hear about loyalty-exclusive offers and priority access for key events throughout the year. Guests can currently sign up via the Sapporo website, with a dedicated mobile app launching soon.