In the BBC television show Dragon's Den, Simon Woodroffe was the original dragon who founded YO! Sushi.
Woodroffe opened the first YO! Sushi restaurant in Soho, London, in 1997. The concept used a conveyor belt to deliver sushi and other Japanese dishes directly to diners, making the restaurant format visually distinctive and highly recognisable.
Woodroffe joined the original Dragon's Den investment panel when the British version launched. He later left the regular panel, while several other early investors remained associated with the programme for longer. The name is often written as YO! Sushi, with the exclamation mark forming part of the brand.
YO! Sushi and Dragon's Den are separate parts of Woodroffe's career: the former established his reputation as an entrepreneur, while the latter made him familiar to television audiences.