Sukiya’s Stock Tumbles 7.1% after Dead Rodent Found in Customer’s Miso Soup

By
Loh Huey Xin
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After reading the headline, you may be thinking: Wow, yet another contaminated food case in Singapore.

Well, thankfully, this did not happen in Singapore, but in Japan. So, you may or may not want to reconsider that year-end trip to Japan.

Enough with the jokes, here’s what happened after the dead rodent incident.

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Stock Plunges After Dead Rodent Found in Popular Restaurant Chain’s Soup

Shares of Zensho Holdings, which operates Japanese restaurant chain Sukiya, fell as much as 7.1 per cent on 24 Mar 2025, marking the largest single-day drop since 13 Feb.

The sharp decline followed the company’s disclosure that a customer had discovered a dead rodent in miso soup served at one of its outlets.

According to the company’s statement released on 22 Mar, the incident occurred at a Sukiya branch in Tottori, western Japan, on 21 Jan 2025.

The rodent reportedly made its way into the soup during meal preparation, and restaurant staff “failed to notice” it before serving the contaminated dish to a customer.

The shocking discovery has since gained traction on social media, with images of the rodent in the soup circulating online.

This viral spread has put additional pressure on the company’s public image and potentially its market performance.

In addition to announcing stronger hygiene measures, Sukiya also issued an apology for not disclosing the incident sooner, acknowledging that many customers “ended up feeling anxious and worried” as a result of the delayed notification.

Sukiya’s Market Performance and Financial Outlook After Hygiene Incident

The popular restaurant chain, known for its affordable beef rice bowls, operates approximately 2,000 branches across Japan.

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Despite the recent stock drop, Zensho Holdings had shown strong financial performance prior to the incident, with shares gaining around 25 per cent over the last 12 months and outperforming the Topix Index.

Shoichi Arisawa, an analyst at Iwai Cosmo Securities, noted that Zensho’s stock had been rising due to expectations of a profit boost from recent price increases.

The company had implemented strategic price hikes that were expected to bolster its financial results before this hygiene crisis emerged.

Regarding the long-term impact of the rodent incident, Arisawa suggested it would depend on whether the discovery leads to a significant decrease in customer numbers in the coming weeks and months.

“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.

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Food safety experts point out that such incidents can have lasting effects on restaurant chains, particularly in Japan where cleanliness standards are typically very high.

The company now faces the challenge of rebuilding consumer trust while implementing more rigorous quality control measures across its extensive network of restaurants.

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Loh Huey Xin