Today we’d like to introduce you to Taichi Ishizuki.
Hi Taichi, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
About Pebble Onebird
Pebble Onebird was born from one simple idea:
A truly great restaurant should exist naturally within the everyday life of a neighborhood.
We created Pebble Onebird as a place that feels welcoming, approachable, and part of everyday life — the kind of restaurant people can visit casually and regularly, and one that makes them think:
“I’m glad a place like this exists in my neighborhood.”
No matter the season, morning, afternoon, or night, we hope Pebble Onebird becomes part of people’s daily rhythm.
On cold days, we hope our warm bowls of ramen bring comfort to both body and soul.
On hot days, we hope our refreshing Khao Man Gai restores your energy.
For those who love spice, our fried chicken can be enjoyed at your preferred heat level.
For early mornings, we offer freshly baked breakfast sandwiches — a small luxury to begin the day.
And for birthdays, office gatherings, and celebrations, we prepare shareable catering packs made for the table.
Chicken is one of the world’s most universal foods — loved across cultures, continents, and generations.
I was born in Japan, but raised by the world.
Even here in America — where people of many cultures, religions, and backgrounds live together — I wanted to create a restaurant that makes people feel:
“I’m happy a place like this is nearby.”
Pebble Onebird was created while imagining the smiles, conversations, and everyday moments shared around food.
To us, great hospitality means:
Food that is genuinely delicious
An experience that engages all five senses
Fast
Honest
Beautiful
And open to everyone
Pebble Onebird aims to be a place where people connect beyond cultural boundaries and share experiences through food.
A space where the dishes are exciting to see, the aromas awaken appetite, and even the sounds from the open kitchen become part of the experience.
By honoring the fundamentals of cooking and blending inspirations gathered from around the world, we shape every dish with intention and care.
From one bird, countless stories can emerge.
Onebird. Many Stories. All Together.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Honestly, it hasn’t been a smooth road.
Before starting this project, I spent 10 years as the CEO of AFURI, where I helped expand the brand internationally and worked on 26 franchise licenses. Even with that experience, opening a restaurant is always a huge challenge — and doing it while relocating to a completely new city made it even more difficult.
We moved from Portland to Austin without much of a local network, so almost everything — contractors, permits, vendors, hiring, and even learning the community itself — had to start from zero.
One of the biggest struggles has been the construction and permitting process. Inspections, HVAC scheduling, city approvals, and coordinating different trades often created chain reactions where one small delay affected many other parts of the project. Things have taken much longer than we originally expected.
Financially, it has also been a major challenge. Building a restaurant from scratch in a new market means constantly balancing quality, budget, and timing. We care deeply about every detail — the food, the atmosphere, the story, and the hospitality — so instead of rushing, we’ve tried to stay true to what makes the concept meaningful to us.
At the same time, those struggles also helped clarify our vision even more. Driving around Austin, slowly meeting people, receiving warm messages, and seeing genuine excitement from the community has reminded us again and again why we started this journey in the first place.
So no, it definitely hasn’t been easy. But it has been deeply meaningful, and absolutely worth it.
As you know, we’re big fans of Pebble & Moon Co. LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Currently, we are building a new restaurant concept in Austin called Pebble Onebird. The concept is centered around “Fine Casual Chicken” — a restaurant focused on chicken, comfort, community, and warmth.
Before starting this project, I spent 10 years as the CEO of AFURI, while also serving as the CEO of the U.S. operations for Tanaka International Inc., a publicly listed Japanese company. During that time, I was involved in international expansion and the development of 26 franchise licenses across multiple countries.
After many years working in ramen, bakery, and Japanese food culture, I became increasingly drawn to the idea of creating something more personal — a restaurant rooted not only in culinary technique, but also in everyday comfort and human connection.
What makes Pebble Onebird unique is our approach to balancing craftsmanship with accessibility. We describe it as “Fine Casual Chicken” — food created with the same care, philosophy, and technical detail often found in fine dining, but presented in a way that naturally fits into everyday life.
Chicken is at the center of the concept, but we are not simply a chicken restaurant. We believe in using the chicken with as much respect and intention as possible. Bones become broth, breast meat is gently cooked at low temperature, thighs are grilled or braised, and skin is transformed into crispy textures and oils layered with flavor.
Our menu naturally blends inspirations from Japanese cuisine, American comfort food, Southeast Asia, and Latin culture — not through fusion for the sake of novelty, but through shared feelings of warmth, memory, and hospitality.
Some dishes we are especially proud of include our Bone Broth–Brined Fried Chicken, layered with multiple levels of umami including chili oil made from rendered chicken fat and crispy chicken skin. Our whole-bird ramen is designed to let guests experience every part of the chicken in a single bowl. Our Khao Man Gai, gently poached in rich chicken broth, expresses softness, comfort, and delicate depth of flavor while always maintaining respect for the ingredients themselves.
Most importantly, what we care about as a brand is the emotional side of hospitality and human connection. We do not want Pebble Onebird to feel like simply “a restaurant,” but rather a place where people from different backgrounds can naturally gather and feel comfortable.
Our brand message is:
“Onebird. Many Stories. All Together.”
That phrase represents our hope that food can become a bridge connecting people, cultures, and stories. Of course we care deeply about the food itself, but beyond that, we want to create warmth, comfort, and a feeling that everyone belongs here.
We are still in the process of building and opening the restaurant, so in many ways the brand is still growing in real time. But we hope people can feel the intention, humanity, and care behind everything we are creating.
How do you define success?
I was born in Japan, shaped through global experiences, and learned deeply from America along the way. If I can create a place that is truly needed in America — a place that brings people comfort, connection, and meaning — there would be nothing more rewarding for me. In many ways, it would represent the culmination of my past experiences, the journey that brought me here, and the future I hope to continue building.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.eatonebird.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eatonebird/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579852383205
- Twitter: https://x.com/EatOnebird
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pebble_hospitality
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pebble-onebird-austin
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@eatonebird?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
