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The Mainichi
03-07-2025
- Business
- The Mainichi
Japan beef bowl chain Yoshinoya launches first-ever noodle dish in 125-year history
TOKYO -- Major Japanese beef bowl chain Yoshinoya Co. will introduce its first-ever noodle menu item in its 125-year history, at all stores across Japan starting July 4. The dish will be available as a summer-only item through the end of August. The new "gyutama stamina mazesoba" is a cold noodle dish designed to be refreshing in summer. The price is 767 yen (roughly $5) for dining in and 753 yen for takeout, including tax. It is topped with simmered beef and onions -- the same used in beef bowls -- as well as egg, green onions and other ingredients. Customers can enjoy flavor variations by adding a separate garlic sauce, free pickled ginger, or paid side menu toppings. But why is Yoshinoya, famous for beef bowls, venturing into noodles? According to a representative from Yoshinoya Holdings Co., which operates the Yoshinoya chain, the price of rice roughly doubled last year compared to the year before, but the introduction of the noodle menu is "unrelated" to rising rice prices. The aim is to broaden menu options and attract more women and families. "We created a cold noodle dish which would stimulate the appetite even in summer and which is also suitable as a take-out item -- popular among female customers," the representative explained. Although new tasks such as draining noodles are required, the company says this will not disrupt operations. On X (formerly Twitter), people who have already tried the noodle dish at stores selling it in advance have posted comments such as "The garlic gives it a nice kick, and it's delicious," "It's much cheaper than at ramen shops," and, "I want a large serving," indicating that the dish is attracting a lot of attention. The company says it will consider the future of its noodle menu based on usage trends and feedback.
Asia News Network
27-06-2025
- Business
- Asia News Network
Popular Japanese food chain Yoshinoya to offer noodle bowl in Japan to attract more female customers
June 27, 2025 TOKYO – Yoshinoya Co., a major gyudon beef and rice bowl chain operator, announced on Wednesday 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 including tax, and it will be offered at about 1,250 restaurants nationwide until around August. The company aims to sell 2 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% of the total. 'Expanding our customer base will bring us more customers,' President Tetsuya Naruse said. The Yoshinoya Holdings Co. group already owns noodle businesses, including an udon chain operated by Hanamaru, Inc. and ramen shops, but noodles have never been served at Yoshinoya restaurants.
Yomiuri Shimbun
26-06-2025
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Yoshinoya to Offer Noodle Bowl in July; Move Is Aimed at Attracting More Female Customers
Yoshinoya Co., a major gyudon beef and rice bowl chain operator, announced on Wednesday 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 including tax, and it will be offered at about 1,250 restaurants nationwide until around August. The company aims to sell 2 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% of the total. 'Expanding our customer base will bring us more customers,' President Tetsuya Naruse said. The Yoshinoya Holdings Co. group already owns noodle businesses, including an udon chain operated by Hanamaru, Inc. and ramen shops, but noodles have never been served at Yoshinoya restaurants.
The Mainichi
21-06-2025
- Business
- The Mainichi
Japanese restaurants, food companies switching to noodles from rice
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- As cost-sensitive consumers are steering clear of rice after a price surge to record highs, restaurant chains and food companies are turning to noodles. Antworks Co., operator of Densetsu no Sutadonya eateries offering pork rice bowls, opened its first ramen noodle restaurant in Tokyo in May and plans another three by next February to diversify its operations. "We have touted our (pork bowl) business as a large portion of our business portfolio but rice prices are now more than three times higher than those several years ago," a spokesperson at the Tokyo-based restaurant chain operator said. A pork rice bowl set meal with miso soup and raw egg is now priced at 890 yen ($6), compared with 630 yen in 2021. The spokesperson said consumers would likely stay away if the price were raised to over 1,000 yen. "The outlook for our business would be more severe if we were just focusing on (pork) bowls," the official said, adding that the cost of a ramen noodle dish is 100 yen to 150 yen cheaper than a pork bowl. Yoshinoya Holdings Co., the parent of major beef bowl restaurant operator Yoshinoya Co., is also strengthening its ramen noodle business, as it views the beef bowl restaurant market in Japan as saturated. Yoshinoya Holdings Executive Vice President Norihiro Ozawa says its ramen noodle business allows the company to "balance" ingredient costs with offerings aside from rice and meat. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, rice prices have doubled from a year earlier and remain around a spike initially triggered by a poor harvest. The average price stood at 4,176 yen per 5 kilograms in the week through June 8, despite releases from the government's rice stockpiles. At supermarkets, consumers are looking for alternatives to rice. According to TableMark Co., sales of its frozen udon noodles grew around 10 percent in value terms in April and May from a year earlier, while sales of Kikkoman Corp.'s packaged udon noodle soup and ingredients rose 10 percent in the three months through May from the same period last year. Meiji Holdings Co. said sales of its mainstay Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt products have maintained around 10 percent growth each month since April last year. "Western-style breakfast foods such as bread and cereal have become more popular" amid the increase in rice prices, a Meji Holdings official said.
