China's dining scene is buzzing as Japanese chains like Torikizoku yakitori, Sushiro conveyor-belt sushi and Saizeriya Italian eateries turn economic hardship into opportunity, drawing customers with affordable options amid a downturn.
Torikizoku, a popular yakitori chain based in Osaka, opened its first mainland China location in Shanghai in late February. All items -- from skewered grilled chicken to beer -- are uniformly priced at 18 yuan (360 yen), following the same strategy used in Japan.
This approach, which lets customers choose freely without worrying about price, is said to be key to the chain's popularity. "Right after opening, we had about 200 people waiting two and a half hours," said the store manager, noting many had previously visited the chain in Japan.
A 28-year-old Shanghai local who visited the yakitori shop with her boyfriend praised the value, saying, "Shanghai's cost of living is high, and yakitori usually costs 12 yuan per skewer. But here it's 18 yuan for two skewers, which is a great deal."
A 25-year-old graduate school student who said he could only afford to dine out once a month expressed satisfaction. "I'm happy to be able to eat Japanese food for around 100 yuan" at the outlet, he said.
In China, private consumption continues to decline amid rising unemployment and falling real estate prices due to the prolonged property-sector crisis. The consumer price index rose just 0.2 percent year-on-year in both 2023 and 2024, well below the government's target of around 3 percent.
"This is precisely the time when we can gain support in China for our prices and product quality, given the current economic stagnation," a Torikizoku executive said. The company aims to eventually expand to around 650 stores in China, matching its footprint in Japan.
Sushiro, which opened its first mainland China location in 2021, made headlines when its Beijing store drew opening-day waits of more than 10 hours last August. As of late March this year, it had expanded to 51 outlets in the world's second-largest economy.
Meanwhile, Saizeriya, an Italian restaurant chain that entered mainland China in 2003, now operates more than 400 stores in the country. In the fiscal year through August 2024, it earned about 8.3 billion yen -- roughly 56 percent of its total operating profit of 14.8 billion yen -- from China alone.
The company, which offers reasonably priced dishes like pizza and pasta, is aiming for rapid expansion with a target of eventually opening 7,000 to 10,000 stores in China.
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