Uncle Tetsu's Cheesecake


Uncle Tetsu's Cheesecake is a bakery store that originally began in 1990 on Oyafukou Street in the Hakata area of Fukuoka, Japan, and which sells Japanese cheesecake as its signature dish. The store was founded by Tetsushi Mizokami, the namesake for "Uncle Tetsu".
A Taiwanese branch opened in 2011, and the cakes became popular after being reported on by local television talk show Kangsi Coming. Outside Japan, the brand has more than 70 shops across China, as well as in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Popularity

Uncle Tetsu entered the Chinese market in 2013, and the Japanese cheesecakes became popular in Shanghai, with customers queueing for hours and purchases being limited to two items per person. A copycat company set up 30 Uncle Tetsu locations in China in 2013, and in a 2014 court settlement it was ordered to pay $160,000 USD.
Because the cheesecakes are so popular, cheesecakes have been limited to one per buyer. There is limited oven capacity, and this makes the line shorter.

Outlets

The first Uncle Tetsu outside Asia opened in 2015, in Toronto, Canada. There are currently over 45 outlets around Japan, 11 in Malaysia, 9 in Indonesia and 8 in Taiwan. Stores opened in Sydney in 2016 and Melbourne and Auckland in late 2017. Other branches exist in Waikiki, Los Angeles, as well as San Mateo, CA. There are eleven stores in Canada, in Toronto, Richmond Hill, Markham, Ottawa, Montreal, and Burnaby. An outlet opened in Lahore in 2019.

Design space

The outlets are known for their warm, red and white interiors plus open-space kitchens which allow customers to see the desserts being made.