IRO Sushi has launched its first Japanese sando to expand its food-to-go and lunchtime offer.
The new Crunchy Salmon Sando combines premium Norwegian salmon, avocado and cream cheese in a crispy nori-coated sando with sweet and savoury unagi sauce.
It has been developed as part of the sushi brand’s data-led approach to menu innovation, which leverages customer insight and market trends to identify growth opportunities within the food-to-go category. Every year, the group launches at least 100 menu innovations to “drive new customer acquisition and brand loyalty”.
The Crunchy Salmon Sando will sit alongside IRO Sushi’s established lines, including its Salmon Selection, Chicken Katsu Curry and Chicken Gyoza.
The launch comes as Japanese sandos have rapidly moved into the mainstream. According to Google Trends search interest in them has increased 32% over the past 12 months and 59% on a two-year basis.
“The lunchtime and takeaway market is continuously evolving, with today’s consumers looking for high-protein, high-quality and innovative options, all at affordable prices,” said IRO Sushi founder and CEO Chhong Sherpa.
“With the launch of our first sando, we wanted to offer something that aligns with these consumer shifts, whilst staying authentic to the IRO Sushi brand and our philosophy of making Japanese cuisine more accessible throughout the day.
“We believe we have created a product that our customers will love, creating more reasons for customers to come back in-store. This will support our long-term ambitions to become the go-to brand of choice for high-quality Japanese cuisine.”
It follows a “record 2025” for the brand, which saw total system sales increase 29% to £18.5m in the year.
In 2026, IRO Sushi plans to open at least 10 new sites and is also exploring early-stage opportunities to take the brand to new markets, as it plans to scale to 100 locations globally by 2030.
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