A restaurant run by a Chuo student greets 3rd year

3年目迎えた現役中大生が運営するレストラン

―学生たちの交流の場に定着―

A two-minute walk from the closest monorail station to Chuo University brings you to a restaurant. “Terranch” was opened two years ago mainly for students by Yuki Matstumoto when he was a first grader of Chuo’s Faculty of Commerce. Hakumon Herald interviewed the owner of the restaurant about how he started up his business and what he plans to do with it in the future.

中央大学の最寄駅から徒歩2分のところに、主に学生相手のレストランがある。2年前に開店した「Terranch」(テランチ)だ。このテランチを立ち上げ、今も店を切り盛りしているのが中大の現役生、松本裕貴さん(商学部3年)だ。その松本さんに店のこと、将来のことなどを聞いてみた。

 

 

Soon after he entered Chuo, Matsumoto worked as an intern for Nojima Corp., a major consumer electronics retail chain founded and run by Hiroshi Nojima, a graduate of Chuo University. There he met people with strong individuality and that motivated him to open his own restaurant. He acted with a sense of speed. In fact, it was only after a few months of preparation that he accomplished his purpose. Matsumoto said, “I thought if I didn’t act while I was a first grader, I wouldn’t act at all later on.” 

松本さんは、1年の春に中大OBの野島廣司さんが経営する大手家電販売会社「ノジマ電気」にインターンとして参加。その時知り合った個性豊かで刺激的な人に出会ったことがテランチ開店の大きな要因となった。Terranchはわずか数カ月で開業に漕ぎつけた。元々大学に入ったらどんな形でも起業したいと考えていたらしく、スピード感を重視したそうだ。「1年生のうちに動かなければその後は動くことはないですからね」と松本さん。

He named his restaurant after a person called Teramoto whom he got acquainted with during his internship. His friends often said, “Let’s go to Teramotonchi (meaning Teramoto’s house).” That was why Matsumoto decided to call his shop “Terranch” for short.

 Terranchというユニークな店の名前は、寺本という同じインターン仲間の名前からとった。「寺本さんちに行こうぜ」が縮まって「テランチ」になったと言う

 

 

Customers who frequent the restaurant are mostly students. Among them are a unique one who likes to act as a magician, another who does palm reading and many others who are keen about their job hunting. Matsumoto found it hard to retain customers in his first year of business. “Now I rarely have hard times,” he said. He added he finds his job worthwhile particularly when he sees a student say “As compared to eating elsewhere alone, I feel easier to dine here with people who sit around me to listen to me” or when he sees customers hit it off with each other and decide to start up a new student club. 

テランチに来る客はやはり学生が多い。マジシャンや手相をみるというユニークな学生から、就職活動に奮闘する学生など様々だ。開店当初は客の定着化を図ることが難しかったが、3年目になる現在は、「全体的に大変だなと思うことはほとんどない」(松本さん)という。それよりも「1人でご飯を食べるよりも誰かがそばにいて話を聞いてもらえて安心感がある」という声や、店で会ったお客同士が意気投合して学生団体を立ち上げている姿もみて、やりがいを感じてきたという。

Terranch Owner   Yuki Matsumoto
Terranch Owner Yuki Matsumoto

Terranchi, now in its third year, is at a major turning point, however. Matsumoto has been running the restaurant with a partner, one of his friends, since its start-up. He said he is having difficulties finding a person who will take it over. He and his partner are planning to hand it over to anyone who is “keenly interested” in doing the business. However, they are worried if they can find a person who will keep it properly. 

 そんなTerranchも3年目にして大きな転換期を迎えている。発足当初から松本さんを含めて2人だけで経営してきたため、後任がなかなか見つからないというのだ。「やりたい」と言ってくれた人に引き継ぐ予定だが、その人がきちんと経営をしていけるのか見極めも必要になる。

 

Terranchi has helped many people get together. It may remain a place where students can meet with each other to become friends. Let us hope that the restaurant which Matsumoto has elaborately nurtured will continue to play its role.

 

(Written by: Chika Sato)

 多くの人とのつながりをつくったTerranchは、今後も学生にとって数多くの出会いの場になっていくに違いない。松本さんが発足当初から携わり育て上げたTerranchを残していってもらいたいものだ。(佐藤千華)

About the restaurant

Name: Terranchi

Location: First floor, Gobankangakuentoshi Dragon Mansion 228 Higashi-Nakano Hachioji, Tokyo

Open for business: 18:00 to 22:30

Closed: Wednesdays

Number of seats: 10 (all non-smoking)

 

 *Up to 25 seats are available on special occasions such as a welcome party for newcomers

 

 

店舗名:「Terranch-テランチ-
所在地:東京都八王子市東中野228ドラゴンマンション学園都市伍番館1F
営業時間:18:00〜22:30
定休日:水曜日
席数:10席(全席禁煙)
*新歓時、イベント時25席