Companies Kura Sushi USA
Kura Sushi USA (KRUS): executive pay, fiscal 2025
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CEO pay, last three years
- $1,074,617FY2023
- $931,498FY2024
- $1,155,662FY2025
CEO total pay was $1,155,662 in fiscal 2025, up from $931,498 in fiscal 2024.
FY2025: salary $517,500 · stock awards $454,750 · option awards $0
Executives and directors
Frequently asked questions
Answers are drawn only from the figures disclosed in this brief and cited to their location in the source filing. Where a figure required for an answer is not disclosed, that is stated rather than estimated.
Full detail
Every table from the filing. Open any section.
Summary compensation table
| Named executive officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension / NQDC | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hajime Uba | $517,500 | — | $454,750 | $0 | $183,412 | $0 | $0 | $1,155,662 |
| President, Chief Executive Officer, Director and Chairman of the Board | ||||||||
| Jeffrey Uttz | 387,500 | — | 280,000 | 0 | 107,745 | 0 | 0 | 775,245 |
| Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||
| Shahin Allameh | 316,000 | — | 196,200 | 0 | 80,074 | 0 | 0 | 592,274 |
| Chief Operating Officer | ||||||||
| Robert Kluger | 291,000 | — | 163,350 | 0 | 87,882 | 0 | 0 | 542,232 |
| Chief Development Officer | ||||||||
| Arlene Petokas | 281,000 | — | 157,850 | 0 | 63,252 | 0 | 0 | 502,102 |
| Chief People Officer | ||||||||
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed in the filing, without adjustment.
Three-year trend — total compensation per named executive
| Named executive officer | FY2025 total | FY2024 total | FY2023 total | Δ FY2024→2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hajime Uba | $1,155,662 | $931,498 | $1,074,617 | ↑ +224,164 |
| Jeffrey Uttz | 775,245 | 654,371 | 1,991,854 | ↑ +120,874 |
| Shahin Allameh | 592,274 | 499,302 | 537,475 | ↑ +92,972 |
| Robert Kluger | 542,232 | 473,174 | — | ↑ +69,058 |
| Arlene Petokas | 502,102 | 433,991 | — | ↑ +68,111 |
Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.
Incentive-plan design — the Compensation Discussion & Analysis
The Compensation Committee's goal is to ensure that the total compensation paid to our executive officers is fair, competitive, and properly structured to attract and retain talent and align management's interests with those of our stockholders.
| CEO STI target (% of salary) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO LTI target (% of salary) | — |
| Independent consultant | Pearl Meyer & Partners, LLC |
| Clawback policy | true |
| Anti-hedging | true |
| Anti-pledging | true |
Equity grants and outstanding awards
Grants of plan-based awards — fiscal year 2025
| Executive | Award | Grant date | Threshold | Target | Granted | Maximum | Grant-date fair value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shahin Allameh | PSU | 2025-02-03 | 613 | 1,226 | — | 1,839 | $98,100 |
| Arlene Petokas | PSU | 2025-02-03 | 493 | 986 | — | 1,479 | 78,925 |
| Hajime Uba | PSU | 2025-02-03 | 1,421 | 2,842 | — | 4,263 | 227,375 |
| Robert Kluger | PSU | 2025-02-03 | 510 | 1,020 | — | 1,530 | 81,675 |
| Jeffrey Uttz | PSU | 2025-02-03 | 875 | 1,750 | — | 2,625 | 140,000 |
Vehicle mix — grant-date fair value by award type
| Named executive officer | Time-vested (RSU) | Performance-vested (PSU) | Options / SARs | % performance-vested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shahin Allameh | $0 | $98,100 | $0 | 100.0% |
| Arlene Petokas | 0 | 78,925 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Hajime Uba | 0 | 227,375 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Robert Kluger | 0 | 81,675 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Jeffrey Uttz | 0 | 140,000 | 0 | 100.0% |
% performance-vested = PSU grant-date fair value ÷ (RSU + PSU + Options), a computed value with the derivation shown in the register.
Outstanding equity awards at fiscal year-end 2025
| Executive | Award | Shares unvested | Exercise price | Market value unvested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arlene Petokas | RSU | 287 | — | $24,340 |
| Robert Kluger | RSU | 297 | — | 25,189 |
| Arlene Petokas | RSU | 315 | — | 26,715 |
| Robert Kluger | RSU | 326 | — | 27,648 |
| Shahin Allameh | RSU | 350 | — | 29,684 |
| Shahin Allameh | RSU | 384 | — | 32,567 |
| Jeffrey Uttz | RSU | 505 | — | 42,829 |
| Jeffrey Uttz | RSU | 558 | — | 47,324 |
| Hajime Uba | RSU | 665 | — | 56,399 |
| Arlene Petokas | Option | 831 | 62.14 | — |
| Hajime Uba | RSU | 859 | — | 72,852 |
| Robert Kluger | Option | 864 | 62.14 | — |
| Arlene Petokas | RSU | 986 | — | 83,623 |
| Arlene Petokas | PSU | 986 | — | 83,623 |
| Shahin Allameh | Option | 1,012 | 62.14 | — |
| Arlene Petokas | Option | 1,015 | 98.13 | — |
| Robert Kluger | RSU | 1,020 | — | 86,506 |
| Robert Kluger | PSU | 1,020 | — | 86,506 |
| Robert Kluger | Option | 1,051 | 98.13 | — |
| Shahin Allameh | RSU | 1,226 | — | 103,977 |
| Shahin Allameh | PSU | 1,226 | — | 103,977 |
| Shahin Allameh | Option | 1,240 | 98.13 | — |
| Arlene Petokas | Option | 1,250 | 45.75 | — |
| Jeffrey Uttz | Option | 1,467 | 62.14 | — |
| Jeffrey Uttz | RSU | 1,750 | — | 148,418 |
| Jeffrey Uttz | PSU | 1,750 | — | 148,418 |
| Jeffrey Uttz | Option | 1,800 | 98.13 | — |
| Hajime Uba | Option | 1,934 | 62.14 | — |
| Hajime Uba | Option | 2,771 | 98.13 | — |
| Hajime Uba | RSU | 2,842 | — | 241,030 |
| Hajime Uba | PSU | 2,842 | — | 241,030 |
| Jeffrey Uttz | Option | 6,838 | 73.58 | — |
Director compensation
| Director | Cash fees | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shintaro AsakoIndependent · Compensation · Nominating · Audit | $95,000 | $70,000 | — | — | — | $165,000 |
| Carin StutzIndependent · Nominating · Audit | 65,000 | 70,000 | — | — | — | 135,000 |
| Treasa BowersIndependent · Compensation (Chair) · Nominating · Audit | 62,151 | 70,000 | — | — | — | 132,151 |
| Kim EllisIndependent · Compensation · Not standing for re-election | 50,000 | 70,000 | — | — | — | 120,000 |
| Hajime UbaEmployee director · Board Chair | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Claudia SchaeferIndependent · Newly elected | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Board fee structure and ownership guideline
| Annual cash retainer | $50,000 |
|---|---|
| Annual equity retainer | $70,000 |
| Per board meeting fee | — |
| Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov) | 15,000 / 15,000 / 15,000 |
| Stock ownership guideline | — |
Total cost of the board
| Component | FY2025 |
|---|---|
| Cash retainers and fees | $272,151 |
| Equity awards (grant-date value) | $280,000 |
| All other compensation | $0 |
| Total cost of the board | $552,151 |
Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.
Peer group, and who names Kura Sushi USA as a peer
Companies that benchmark against KRUS
3 companies name KRUS as a compensation peer
The list of companies that name KRUS as a peer is temporarily unavailable — recheck shortly.
Disclosed peer group — fiscal year 2025
The compensation peer group as the company disclosed it in its own proxy — the reference set behind the percentile above.
Peer reciprocity
The companies Kura Sushi USA names as compensation peers that name it back in their own disclosed peer groups.
Chief executive pay against the peer group
Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company’s own proxy statement.
| Rank | Company | FY | Chief executive | Salary | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shake Shack Inc. | 2025 | Robert Lynch | $1,000,000 | $5,000,161 | $0 | $1,011,750 | $7,210,818 |
| 2 | El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. | 2025 | Elizabeth Williams | 750,950 | 1,434,000 | 717,000 | 581,162 | 3,539,320 |
| 3 | The ONE Group Hospitality, Inc. | 2025 | Emanuel Hilaro | 700,000 | 350,000 | 0 | 52,500 | 2,139,962 |
| 4 | Chuy's Holdings, Inc. | 2023 | Steve Hislop | 745,498 | 559,088 | 0 | 745,498 | 2,068,041 |
| 5 | Nathan's Famous, Inc. | 2025 | Eric Gatoff | 625,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,694,216 |
| 6 | Portillo's Inc. | 2025 | Michael Miles Jr. | 16,319 | 1,320,000 | 0 | 0 | 1,467,689 |
| 7 | Kura Sushi USA | 2025 | Hajime Uba | 517,500 | 454,750 | 0 | 183,412 | 1,155,662 |
| 8 | Noodles & Company | 2025 | Joseph Christina | 407,116 | 388,700 | 0 | 82,569 | 889,720 |
| 9 | Ark Restaurants Corp. | 2025 | Michael Weinstein | 825,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 825,000 |
| — | Good Times Restaurants Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
Each peer’s compensation is from its most recently filed proxy; fiscal years differ by company. Each peer’s figures come from its own filings; the subject company is highlighted. Peers whose chief executive compensation is outside our coverage universe are stated as such, never left blank.
Incentive design against the same peers
| Company | Annual incentive payout | Long-term vehicle mix | PSU measures include TSR | Compensation consultant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kura Sushi USA | not disclosed | RSU 50 · PSU 50 | not disclosed | Pearl Meyer & Partners, LLC |
| Ark Restaurants Corp. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Chuy's Holdings, Inc. | 100% | RSU 100 | not disclosed | Mercer |
| El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. | 77.5% | Option 33.33 · RSA 33.33 · PSU 33.33 | No | Semler Brossy |
| Good Times Restaurants Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Nathan's Famous, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Noodles & Company | not disclosed | PSU 60 · RSU 40 | No | FW Cook |
| Portillo's Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Meridian Compensation Partners |
| Shake Shack Inc. | 67.5% | PSU 60 · RSU 40 | No | Pearl Meyer & Partners |
| The ONE Group Hospitality, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Frederic W. Cook & Co. |
Read from each company’s Compensation Discussion and Analysis: annual incentive payout as a percentage of target, the disclosed long-term vehicle mix, whether performance-share measures include a total shareholder return component, and the retained compensation consultant. “Not disclosed” appears only where the company’s filing does not state the item.
Say-on-pay history and pay ratio
| Meeting year | Meeting date | For | Against | Abstain | Support | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-01-21 | 18,594,882 | 265,335 | 5,865 | 98.59% | Passed |
| 2025 | 2025-01-23 | 19,386,397 | 217,187 | 5,790 | 98.86% | Passed |
Rows are labeled by annual-meeting year, with the meeting date beside each; the vote held in a given year acts on the prior fiscal year’s compensation.
Say-on-pay — history, company’s computation
| Meeting year | Meeting date | Approval — company’s computation |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-01-21 | 98.59%a |
| 2025 | 2025-01-23 | 98.86%b |
a. Voting standard not stated in the filing.
b. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “Although the vote is non-binding, the Company will consider the voting frequency (i.e., "one year", "two years", or "three years") receiving the affirmative "for" vote of the greatest amount of voting power of the stock entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting and with respect to the matter on which the vote is taken, present in person or represented by proxy, as the frequency recommended, on an advisory”.
Approval percentages are the company’s own reported computations under its own stated standard, not recomputed by Velarion. Where a company does not state a standard, none is assumed.
CEO pay ratio
| Ratio (CEO : median employee) | 52 : 1 |
|---|---|
| CEO total compensation | $1,155,662 |
| Median employee compensation | $22,064 |
Insider trades since the proxy
No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.
Sources (32 citations)
Each figure is listed with the filing it comes from, where it appears in that filing, and the value as printed. Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.
- Section 01, Hajime Uba. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-10. Section “Executive Compensation” · page 24. As printed: 1,155,662. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Jeffrey Uttz. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-10. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 775,245. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Shahin Allameh. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-10. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 592,274. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Robert Kluger. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-10. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 542,232. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Arlene Petokas. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-10. Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 502,102. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Shahin Allameh PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-10. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Arlene Petokas PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-10. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Hajime Uba PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-10. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Robert Kluger PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-10. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Jeffrey Uttz PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-10. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 07, pay ratio. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-10. Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: 52 : 1. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Shintaro Asako. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-10. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 165,000. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Carin Stutz. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-10. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 135,000. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Treasa Bowers. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-10. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 132,151. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Kim Ellis. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-10. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 120,000. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Hajime Uba. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-10. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Claudia Schaefer. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-10. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: —. View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2026 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2026-01-22. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 98.59% (votes for as printed: 18,594,882). View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2025 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2025-01-24. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 98.86% (votes for as printed: 19,386,397). View filing ↗
- Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed). Computed. Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.
- Section 03b vehicle mix (computed). Computed. RSU / PSU / Options grant-date fair values summed per officer from the grants table; % performance-vested = PSU ÷ (RSU+PSU+Options).
- Section 09b board cost (computed). Computed. Cash 272,151 + equity 280,000 + all other 0 = 552,151, summed across the director compensation table rows.
- Shake Shack Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-29. CEO total compensation as printed in Shake Shack Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 7,210,818. View filing ↗
- El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. CEO total compensation as printed in El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 3,539,320. View filing ↗
- The ONE Group Hospitality, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. CEO total compensation as printed in The ONE Group Hospitality, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 2,139,962. View filing ↗
- Chuy's Holdings, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2024-06-13. CEO total compensation as printed in Chuy's Holdings, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 2,068,041. View filing ↗
- Nathan's Famous, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2025-07-25. CEO total compensation as printed in Nathan's Famous, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 1,694,216. View filing ↗
- Portillo's Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. CEO total compensation as printed in Portillo's Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 1,467,689. View filing ↗
- Kura Sushi USA (subject), Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2025-12-10. CEO total compensation as printed in Kura Sushi USA's own proxy. As printed: 1,155,662. View filing ↗
- Noodles & Company, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-01. CEO total compensation as printed in Noodles & Company's own proxy. As printed: 889,720. View filing ↗
- Ark Restaurants Corp., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-01-26. CEO total compensation as printed in Ark Restaurants Corp.'s own proxy. As printed: 825,000. View filing ↗
- Section 10a, Portillo's Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Portillo's Inc. names Kura Sushi USA in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). View filing ↗