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Japan Times
31-03-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Japan's biggest beef bowl chain Sukiya to shut nearly 2,000 stores after rat and bug contamination
Japan's fast-food chain Sukiya will shut nearly all of its roughly 2,000 stores nationwide for four days from Monday following recent incidents of customers finding a rodent in a bowl of miso soup and a bug in another meal, it said on its website on Saturday. Sukiya, the country's biggest beef bowl chain owned by dining giant Zensho Holdings, apologized on March 22 that miso soup served at one of its locations in western Japan in January had contained a rat. Zensho shares fell as much as 7% on March 24. In a Saturday statement, Sukiya said it had also suffered a second contamination incident on Friday, when another store in suburban Tokyo served a meal containing a bug. As a result, it had decided to close all Japanese restaurant locations, except for a small number in shopping centers, between Monday morning and Friday morning this week to take measures to prevent further infestations. "We take very seriously the fact that this incident has occurred," Sukiya said. "We deeply apologize to our customers." As of the end of 2024, Sukiya operated 1,965 stores in Japan, according to Zensho's latest filing, exceeding those of rival beef bowl chains Yoshinoya, which had about 1,250, and Matsuya, with about 1,100. Sukiya also operates around 650 stores overseas in regions such as China, Southeast Asia an Latin America.
Reuters
29-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Japan's biggest beef bowl chain Sukiya to shut nearly 2,000 stores after rat and bug contamination
TOKYO, March 29 (Reuters) - Japan's fast-food chain Sukiya will shut nearly all of its roughly 2,000 stores nationwide for four days from Monday following recent incidents of customers finding a rodent in a bowl of miso soup and a bug in another meal, it said on its website on Saturday. Sukiya, the country's biggest beef bowl chain owned by dining giant Zensho Holdings (7550.T), opens new tab, last weekend apologised that miso soup served at one of its locations in western Japan in January had contained a rat. Zensho shares fell as much as 7% on the following Monday. In a Saturday statement, Sukiya said it had also suffered a second contamination incident on Friday, when another store in suburban Tokyo served product containing a bug. As a result, it had decided to close all Japanese restaurant locations, except for a small number in shopping centres, between March 31 morning and April 4 morning to take measures to prevent further infestations. "We take very seriously the fact that this incident has occurred," Sukiya said. "We deeply apologise to our customers." As of the end of 2024, Sukiya operated 1,965 stores in Japan, according to Zensho's latest filing, exceeding those of rival beef bowl chains Yoshinoya (9861.T), opens new tab, which had about 1,250, and Matsuya (9887.T), opens new tab, with about 1,100. Sukiya also operates around 650 stores overseas in regions such as China, Southeast Asia an Latin America.
Japan Times
24-03-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Rodent found in miso soup prompts plunge in Sukiya owner's stock
Shares of Zensho Holdings, which operates Japanese restaurant chain Sukiya, fell as much as 7.1%, the most since Feb. 13, after the firm said a customer had found a dead rodent in its miso soup. Sukiya said the animal made its way into the soup while meals were being prepared at a branch in Tottori Prefecture on Jan. 21, and that staff "failed to notice' it before serving. The chain said in an announcement on Saturday that it would double down on hygiene measures. The restaurant also apologized for failing to disclose the incident sooner. "Many customers ended up feeling anxious and worried' as a result, it said. Sukiya operates around 2,000 branches across Japan and is known for its beef rice bowls. The long-term impact on Zensho's shares will depend on whether the rodent incident leads to a significant fall in customers, said Shoichi Arisawa, an analyst at Iwai Cosmo Securities. Zensho's stock had been rising due to hopes of a profit boost from recent price hikes, Arisawa said. The shares have gained around 25% in the last 12 months, outperforming the Topix Index. "I don't think the incident reflects a structural problem with the business. But Sukiya can't just dismiss it as a one-off accident,' Arisawa said.
