The surprising economics of sushi

Sushi is an estimated $33B business in the US

US fishermen stock most of the country's more than 17,000 sushi restaurants. Distributors frequently adjust prices for different fish, based on their availability and the quality of the meat. This podcast unpacks how that industry operates.

A Netflix documentary ignited an omakase sushi craze

Before 2012, edomae omakase was an expensive sushi experience that was not particularly popular in the US. That changed with “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” a 2011 film about the 85-year-old owner of Sukiyabashi Jiro, an omakase restaurant with three Michelin stars, that earned rave reviews. Demand for omakase exploded, and restaurants responded by raising their prices.

The best sushi restaurants in the US

Not every sushi spot is the same: They have different fish distributors, different menus, and different vibes. This list ranks US restaurants that have excelled across the board, highlighting well-regarded omakase counters (like New York’s Sushi Nakazawa) and old-school bars (like Los Angeles’ Sushi Gen).

'Omakase' roughly translates to 'I'll leave it up to you'

An omakase restaurant allows sushi chefs to craft custom-made rolls for patrons. The meals are often expensive, but there are good reasons for that: They include the freshest ingredients the restaurant has to offer and usually have limited spots. This short documentary focuses on Royal Sushi and Izakaya in Philadelphia.

Yohei's sushi innovation turned sushi into a convenient fast food

Nigiri took relatively little time to prepare, making it an ideal dish to serve from a food stand. The success of Yohei’s stand, where customers could select their desired toppings, inspired others to open similar businesses.

One writer suggests using the California roll to evaluate sushi restaurants

Christine Carone uses the logic of the Big Mac Index—a metric for evaluating purchasing power by comparing countries’ Big Mac prices proposed by the Economist—for evaluating takeout sushi. Her recommendation is looking at the cost of a California roll, a relatively inexpensive, middle-of-the-road item for any American sushi spot. If it’s too expensive, the restaurant isn’t offering good value. But if it’s too cheap, you should worry about the quality of the fish.

Westerners didn't encounter sushi until the mid-1800s because Japan was closed off to tourists.

Norway is responsible for salmon sushi

Japanese sushi did not include salmon until the mid-1990s because Pacific salmon was known to contain parasites. Norway, meanwhile, had an abundance of Atlantic salmon, which was safe to eat raw. The country smelled an opportunity and launched Project Japan, which successfully convinced the country that Atlantic salmon was safe to include in its cuisine.

A television show helped popularize sushi in the US in the 1980s

"Shogun," a miniseries released in 1980, followed a British sailor's journey through 17th-century Japan. Nearly a third of American households watched its five installments, and it was used as an instructional text in classrooms throughout the '80s, inspiring a wave of American interest in Japanese culture, including sushi.

The economics of all-you-can-eat buffets

Is it possible to out-eat the price you pay for a buffet? How do these places make money? We looked at the dollars and cents behind the meat and potatoes.

The fish in sushi is usually frozen to eliminate parasites

Most raw fish contain parasites, but sushi restaurants and fish markets use “super freezers” to make the food safe for consumption. The United States Food and Drug Administration warns that frozen raw seafood can still contain parasites, depending on the type of fish and the conditions of the “super freezer.”

Watch a Japanese chef demonstrate how he prepares sushi

Tokyo's Naomichi Yasuda shows how he cuts tuna, wraps a maki roll, and assembles nigiri. In the process, he explains the proper way to enjoy the creations, offering advice for getting the most flavor.

Sushi apprenticeships often last for at least 10 years

Sushi is often treated as a precise art form, with master chefs taking on apprentices who must slowly earn the responsibility of preparing the food. In the video below, Oona Tempest, an apprentice at Tanoshi Sushi NYC, explains what the years-long process entails.

All-you-can-eat buffets are a practical demonstration of economic ideas

Economists have noticed some restaurant goers prefer a flat pricing model despite it usually being more expensive than per-dish costs. The strategy behind endless servings includes concepts such as economy of scale, cross-subsidization, diminishing returns (of enjoyment of excess food), and more.

The first sushi bar in the US opened in the 1960s in Los Angeles

Kawafuku opened in the city’s Little Tokyo neighborhood in 1923 and installed its sushi bar in the mid-1960s. The restaurant primarily sourced local seafood, including abalone, though it also imported fish from Japan, attracting many Japanese expatriates.

Bluefin tuna, now used in high-end sushi, was once reserved for cat food

Until the ‘70s, the enormous fish were the base for cat food or, at times, thrown into the trash. Now it’s the most expensive fish in the ocean and is a popular topping for nigiri sushi thanks to the abundance of fat in its belly.

Chef Hanaya Yohei invented modern sushi in the early 1820s

The enterprising chef created nigiri sushi—fresh fish placed on top of vinegared rice balls that are then hand-molded together—as a way to quickly serve fish to busy Edo workers who could take their food to-go.

The rice in sushi was originally used as a way to preserve fish, but wasn't intended to be eaten.

An economist answers questions about love

Economists aren't exactly known for their dating advice. But as it turns out, economics experts can offer fresh perspectives to everyday romantic quandaries. On this podcast episode, economist Tim Harford answers listeners’ relationship quandaries, from paying for a first date to alternatives to saying, "I love you." Listen to the episode here.

Gas station sushi is actually pretty safe to eat, experts say

Vending machine food, in general, gets a bad rap for its seeming lack of freshness, but whether the food you eat is safe usually depends on the quality of the cold chain supply logistics that brought it to the point of sale. Most prepackaged sushi fish has been flash frozen, and the rice has been mixed with vinegar to inhibit bacteria.

Sinaloan sushi is a Mexican take on the Japanese classic

Sushi became popular in Mexico in the early 20th century, thanks to Japanese immigrants who settled in Sinaloa, a Mexican state that runs along the Pacific Ocean. The region’s modern-day sushi blends both cultural traditions, evident in items like the Mar y Tierra roll, which includes carne asada and shrimp.

Conveyor belt sushi was invented in 1958

Yoshiakai Shiraishi had trouble staffing his sushi restaurant with waiters. When he saw a conveyor belt moving beer bottles at a brewery, he realized the technology could solve his problem. He unveiled his innovation at his Osaka restaurant in 1958, introducing a style, kaitenzushi, that would be replicated by others—and contribute to sushi’s growing popularity.

Ukraine's sushi restaurants have remained open through the country's war with Russia

Although the country's cities have become battlegrounds, its sushi restaurants—a popular comfort food for Ukrainians—have remained open. That's especially surprising considering they require imported fresh fish and highly skilled chefs.

Sushi contains cooked or raw fish, and comes in various rolls and styles

In the US, most sushi restaurants serve maki and uramaki, which feature fish wrapped in rice. But those are far from the only styles of sushi out there.

College budgets, explained

In this episode of the FutureU podcast, higher education experts Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn explore why so many colleges seem to be struggling financially. Hear how college budgets actually work, and why so many are unsustainable. It’s a crash course in revenue, expenses, and the big shifts schools need to make to survive.

What exactly is college for?

The rising cost of college has many of us wondering, what exactly is a college education for, anyways? This "Freakonomics" podcast episode breaks down how colleges operate like large businesses and try to differentiate their products from one another to win market share. To find out what the overwhelming higher education system is doing wrong (and what it gets right), listen here.

Funazushi takes 3 years to prepare

Funazushi is a type of honnare (sometimes spelled hon-nare or called narezushi) sushi. Unlike nigirizushi, the quicker form that's commonly found in restaurants, honnare is preserved over a long stretch of time. Mariko Kitamura, who runs a funazushi shop in Takashima City, Japan, describes the dish as a "fish version of prosciutto" with a saltiness that's similar to caviar.

Alaska's Bristol Bay hosts the world's largest self-sustaining wild salmon runs

Nearly 50 million of the fish return to the area each year to spawn, sometimes in the same spot they were born. A journalist tracked the supply chain journey of one sockeye salmon from the sea to the customer's plate.

The sushi burrito hails from San Francisco

Inventor Peter Yen wanted to combine sushi-making techniques with Latin flavors, so he founded Sushirrito, which specializes in burrito-sized sushi rolls with Mexican-inspired fillings like ginger guacamole.

How five of the world's most expensive salt and spices are made

Part of the charm of certain spices and salts is their exotic origin, hailing from difficult-to-access locales or hewn via special processes. That also explains why they can be so expensive. Dive into the businesses of producing and marketing five of the world's most expensive food additives with this engaging video.

Globalization is increasing the demand for cheese

The increased popularity of Western cuisine has affected the cheese market in historically cheese-averse regions like East Asia. Japan has gotten particularly excited about exploring what cheese has to offer, with festivals and creative fusion dishes featuring the versatile ingredient.

How the ocean is the new frontier of innovation

Space has been called the final frontier of innovation and investment for decades. Many innovators say the ocean is the new space, the vast majority of whose hidden depths remain obscure. In this podcast episode, business-minded experts discuss the opportunities founders see in the ocean, including seagrass restoration, underwater cable networks, and more.

Here's why pennies don't make sense

Did you know that pennies cost roughly 3 cents to produce? That fact doesn't seem to make sense, being that pennies are only worth 1 cent each. This podcast episode explains why we still have pennies, plus where they came from, why Americans don't use pennies, and how we got here. Click here to listen.

The economics of horseshoe crab blood

Horseshoe crabs are older than dinosaurs and have survived five mass extinctions that wiped most life from the planet. But it's only now that their future as a species is in danger. This blood, worth about $60,000 per gallon, is hyper-sensitized to certain bacteria that are fatal to humans. This 17-minute podcast dives into humanity's pursuit of horseshoe crab blood, a "somewhat magical" mixture heavily relied on by the pharmaceutical industry.

Why caviar is still so expensive, even though it's no longer rare

An ounce of caviar can cost more than $250, even though China has flooded the market with a surge in supply over the past decade. As it turns out, the perception of caviar as a luxury good rather than a true scarcity is part of what keeps it so expensive.

The economics of romance novels

Romance is the publishing industry's most popular genre, with over 44 million units sold in 2025 alone. This episode of "The Economics of Everyday Things" podcast explores how the once-maligned form became the most reliable kind of book in the industry.

The economics of Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A has dominated national customer satisfaction surveys while growing conservatively for decades. This video goes into the economics the company deploys to be successful.

Listen to an interview with a gig economy expert

In this podcast episode, the hosts sit down with NerdWallet Senior News Editor Rick VanderKnyff, a gig economy expert who explains why the sector grew during the COVID-19 pandemic, what defines a gig worker, how gig workers handle their finances, and more.

Explaining the 'Costco effect'

The "Costco effect" is a term used to describe how the warehouse chain has perfected the art of the impulse purchase. The strategic layout of the store and product placement encourage shoppers to explore and make impulse purchases after initially getting reeled in by low prices on high-quality goods. Read first-hand accounts from shoppers explaining the spell-like effect in this story.

Only 28% of Americans think restaurant prices are fair

Seven in 10 Americans dine out at least once a month, but only 28% of diners think menu prices are fair, a 2025 YouGov survey found. That changes only slightly by income, with 44% of higher-income Americans finding the prices fair.

The global horse market is worth about $400B

In this podcast episode from a new series on horses, Freakonomics explores the market around buying and selling some of the world's top sport horses, and the nebulous forces that make them so valuable.

There are roughly 7,000 Korean restaurants in the US

A generation ago, the average American had never heard of kimchi or bulgogi, but these days, Korean cuisine is booming in the United States. And it’s no accident. This one-minute explainer video from Morning Brew reveals what role the government played in boosting the popularity of Korean food abroad, and what it all has to do with foreign debt and soap operas.

Alaska's 750,000 residents are fed by $2B in food imports annually

The logistics of the state's food supply chain are served by container ships, planes, trains, and trucks from the lower 48 states. Roughly 60% of all Alaskans live within two hours of Anchorage.

How the methods of catching fish for food affects their taste

Commercially caught fish are often killed through suffocation, allowing the causing the fish extreme stress and flooding their bodies with stress hormones and lactic acid. These chemicals cause the fish's flesh to become bitter where it was once rich and quickens the rotting process.

Why there's a snack recession

Inflation and economic uncertainty have driven many Americans to make cuts to their snack budgets, according to reports from major food manufacturers like General Mills, JM Smucker, and Campbell's. Major retailers have also observed lower-income consumers cutting back on nonessentials due to the macroeconomic environment.

Most expiration dates are completely made up

Producers, sellers, and consumers waste tons of food. In this 20-minute episode, John Oliver discusses the shocking amount of food we don't eat.

The complicated economics of horse racing

The Triple Crown commands big ratings (and enormous amounts of money in betting) but the sport as a whole is in a precarious position, thanks to limited tracks and an overreliance on subsidies. This special from Freakonomics unpacks what all that means for the future of the sport.

'Freakonomics' celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2025

The book 'Freakonomics' arguably changed the business landscape when it came out, and has since evolved into other forms of media and a cultural phenomenon.

Tracing the history of refrigeration

Refrigeration has become critical to most of our lives. But not long ago, it wasn't available. How did we become so dependent on our fridges and freezers? This fun, informative podcast traces the history of keeping it cool with ice and...

Intriguing facts about tomatoes

This episode of the Lunchbox Envy podcast dives deep into the world of tomatoes. Why do they taste nicer in certain settings? Do they "scream"? What are their health benefits? All of these questions and more are answered about the luscious red fruit. Listen and reflect on the historical and cultural significance of the tomato.