The competition is gonna be fierce.
Sushi fans from across the Valley already head to Hana Japanese Eatery for a taste of chef-owner Koji Hashimoto's latest catch, and now there's even more incentive to swing by for a fish fix.
This morning, the north central Phoenix restaurant announced on Twitter that it's getting involved in the Foursquare turf wars by offering a free plate of sashimi every time the current Foursquare Mayor comes in.
Co-owner Lori Hashimoto (Koji's sister) says there are some Hana fans who come in multiple times a week to become Mayor of the restaurant on the social media site, which lets users "check in" via their cellphones to various locations around the city, and keep an eye on where their friends are.
"So many of our customers are playing, so we want to play, too," she says.
This is just the beginning of Hana's new efforts to reach customers through social media and the web.
"Next, we're trying to get my brother to blog," Hashimoto says. "He has so many funny stories from all of his years of working a sushi bars."
