Words and photo by Nevin Martell

When you dine out, you might think about the ingredients that go into your food, but you probably don’t think about all the numbers that make your meal happen. Restaurants are filled with interesting figures that might not be apparent when you bite into an enticing entrée or take a sip of a signature cocktail, but they’re all around you.

This week, we roll over to YO! Sushi inside Union Station. Its open sushi counter at the center is ringed by a conveyor belt, which takes six minutes to make a full loop around. Guests pluck off color-coded dishware to their hearts content, which stacks up to a lot of interesting numbers. We find out just how many pounds of rice, sheets of seaweed, and gallons of soy sauce this colorful UK import goes through every month.

YO! Sushi

Seats: 72

Locations worldwide: 69

Kinds of fish currently on the menu: 16

Pounds of fish used every month: 1,500

Kinds of sashimi available: Seven

Kinds of nigiri available: 13

Kinds of hand rolls available: Six

Kinds of rolls available: 16

How many of the best selling California Roll sold every month: 1,500

Gallons of soy sauce used every month: 60

Pounds of wasabi used every month: 30

Pounds of rice used every month: 1,650

Sheets of seaweed used every month: 16,800

Miso soups sold every month: 2,400

Orders of the best selling popcorn shrimp sold every month: 1,200

Items on the takeout menu: 43

Washington icons represented in the mural at the back of the restaurant: 14, including President Lincoln, tourists on Segways, the Washington Monument, and Nats Stadium

Lucky cat statues placed throughout the eatery: Now only four, as two were recently stolen