What do you think?
YO! MAN: Rock’n’ Roll, Robots and Reinventing British Dining
From rock'n'roll roadie to conveyor belt sushi empire – the unlikely story of the man who built YO!
In 1997, Simon Woodroffe opened YO! Sushi with £200,000 and a 100-metre conveyor belt. For two weeks, nobody came. By week three, there was a queue around the block that lasted three years.
But Simon's journey to that moment was anything but conventional. A former roadie and stage designer who worked on Live Aid and built sets for rock legends, he'd been expelled from school, arrested for drugs at nineteen, and served time in a young offender's prison. By his early forties, after business failures and divorce, he was nearly broke and wondering if he'd ever amount to anything.
Then came fire-walking. Lunch with a Japanese businessman. A crazy idea. And the decision to risk everything at forty-five.
This is the brutally honest, wildly entertaining story of how Simon created not just one but multiple iconic YO! Sushi, YOTEL and the YO! empire itself. From the Creative Britannia moment of the late 90s to bankruptcy scares, difficult partnerships and becoming an original Dragon on BBC's Dragon's Den, Simon holds nothing back about the sleepless nights, mental health struggles, relationship disasters and moments of pure terror when everything hung by a thread.
Whether you're forty-five and wondering if it's too late, or nineteen and wondering if it's possible, YO! MAN proves that the most unlikely journeys often lead to the most extraordinary destinations.
In 1997, Simon Woodroffe opened YO! Sushi with £200,000 and a 100-metre conveyor belt. For two weeks, nobody came. By week three, there was a queue around the block that lasted three years.
But Simon's journey to that moment was anything but conventional. A former roadie and stage designer who worked on Live Aid and built sets for rock legends, he'd been expelled from school, arrested for drugs at nineteen, and served time in a young offender's prison. By his early forties, after business failures and divorce, he was nearly broke and wondering if he'd ever amount to anything.
Then came fire-walking. Lunch with a Japanese businessman. A crazy idea. And the decision to risk everything at forty-five.
This is the brutally honest, wildly entertaining story of how Simon created not just one but multiple iconic YO! Sushi, YOTEL and the YO! empire itself. From the Creative Britannia moment of the late 90s to bankruptcy scares, difficult partnerships and becoming an original Dragon on BBC's Dragon's Den, Simon holds nothing back about the sleepless nights, mental health struggles, relationship disasters and moments of pure terror when everything hung by a thread.
Whether you're forty-five and wondering if it's too late, or nineteen and wondering if it's possible, YO! MAN proves that the most unlikely journeys often lead to the most extraordinary destinations.
374 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 3, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 1, 2026
YO! MAN: Rock’n’Roll, Robots and Reinventing British Dining by Simon Woodroffe is the kind of memoir that makes success feel much more human. Instead of presenting entrepreneurship as a straight road filled with perfect decisions, Simon takes us through the uncertainty, setbacks, risks, and unexpected opportunities that shaped his journey. His story is unconventional from the very beginning, and that unpredictability is what makes the book so engaging.
Long before YO! Sushi became a recognizable name, Simon experienced a life that was anything but ordinary. From working around the world of rock’n’roll as a roadie and stage designer to facing business failures, financial difficulties, divorce, and personal struggles, his path was full of twists and turns. Reading about those earlier chapters makes his later achievements feel less like overnight success and more like the result of years of experimenting, learning, falling down, and starting again.
The story of YO! Sushi is one of the most fascinating parts of the book. Taking a bold idea and investing £200,000 into a restaurant built around a 100-metre conveyor belt was a huge gamble, especially when almost nobody showed up during the first two weeks. Then the situation changed dramatically, and queues began forming around the block. It is a memorable example of how unconventional thinking can sometimes create an entirely new experience for people.
What really stood out to me, though, was the honesty behind the success story. Simon does not hide the sleepless nights, financial pressure, difficult partnerships, relationship problems, mental health struggles, or moments when everything felt as though it could fall apart. His journey from YO! Sushi to YOTEL and his appearance on Dragons’ Den becomes more meaningful because we get to see the uncertainty behind the achievements rather than only the polished results.
YO! MAN ultimately feels like a celebration of reinvention, courage, and refusing to let age or past mistakes define what comes next. Simon Woodroffe’s story shows that an unexpected beginning can still lead somewhere extraordinary, and that sometimes the biggest opportunities appear when life feels least certain. It is an entertaining, candid, and motivating memoir for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, creativity, taking calculated risks, or simply discovering that there is no fixed deadline for changing direction in life.
Long before YO! Sushi became a recognizable name, Simon experienced a life that was anything but ordinary. From working around the world of rock’n’roll as a roadie and stage designer to facing business failures, financial difficulties, divorce, and personal struggles, his path was full of twists and turns. Reading about those earlier chapters makes his later achievements feel less like overnight success and more like the result of years of experimenting, learning, falling down, and starting again.
The story of YO! Sushi is one of the most fascinating parts of the book. Taking a bold idea and investing £200,000 into a restaurant built around a 100-metre conveyor belt was a huge gamble, especially when almost nobody showed up during the first two weeks. Then the situation changed dramatically, and queues began forming around the block. It is a memorable example of how unconventional thinking can sometimes create an entirely new experience for people.
What really stood out to me, though, was the honesty behind the success story. Simon does not hide the sleepless nights, financial pressure, difficult partnerships, relationship problems, mental health struggles, or moments when everything felt as though it could fall apart. His journey from YO! Sushi to YOTEL and his appearance on Dragons’ Den becomes more meaningful because we get to see the uncertainty behind the achievements rather than only the polished results.
YO! MAN ultimately feels like a celebration of reinvention, courage, and refusing to let age or past mistakes define what comes next. Simon Woodroffe’s story shows that an unexpected beginning can still lead somewhere extraordinary, and that sometimes the biggest opportunities appear when life feels least certain. It is an entertaining, candid, and motivating memoir for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, creativity, taking calculated risks, or simply discovering that there is no fixed deadline for changing direction in life.
September 27, 2026
Enjoyed this a lot. I loved Patrick' first book, had the privilege of doing a speaking tour with him back when I started, and worked with his brother on Phil Collins. So that said I may be biased.
The guy is an optimistic visionary, that actually gets shit done. Reading his story was fun and inspiring.
Also loved the Felix Dennis references.
The guy is an optimistic visionary, that actually gets shit done. Reading his story was fun and inspiring.
Also loved the Felix Dennis references.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews