Beef bowl chain Yoshinoya to offer noodles in Japan to attract more female customers
Yoshinoya's main customer base is men in their 30s and older, but they want to attract more female customers. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: UNSPLASH
TOKYO - Yoshinoya, a major gyudon beef and rice bowl chain operator, announced on June 25 that it will launch its first ever noodle dish, gyutama stamina mazesoba (dry noodle dish with beef and egg), on July 4 for the summer season only.
The company aims to attract more customers, including women and families, by offering more menu options in addition to its mainstay beef bowls. It said that this move is not directly related to the recent rise in rice prices.
The dish comprises Chinese noodles, rinsed with cold water, and the same stewed beef used in the beef bowl, along with white onion, egg, green onion and tenkasu, which are crunchy bits of deep-fried tempura batter. The in-store price is ¥767 (S$6.70) including tax, and it will be offered at about 1,250 restaurants nationwide until around August. The company aims to sell two million servings during the period.
Yoshinoya's main customer base is men in their 30s and older, but they want to attract more female customers, who currently account for only less than 30 per cent of the total. 'Expanding our customer base will bring us more customers,' president Tetsuya Naruse said.
The Yoshinoya Holdings group already owns noodle businesses, including an udon chain operated by Hanamaru and ramen shops, but noodles have never been served at Yoshinoya restaurants. THE JAPAN NEWS/ ASIAN NEWS NETWORK
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