first-time customer; walk-in customer; customer without introduction
Used especially for inns, restaurants, and traditional establishments where regulars or introductions are valued. Often appears in phrases like 一見さんお断り (no first-time customers).
This traditional restaurant does not accept first-time customers without an introduction.
I'm looking for an izakaya where even walk-in customers can feel comfortable.
一見さん refers to a first-time or one-off customer, the opposite of a リピーター who returns again and again.
From 一見 (いちげん, 'first visit' or 'without introduction') + honorific suffix さん. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is conventionally associated with the hospitality industry.