Sukiya, one of Japan’s largest beef bowl restaurant chains, announced it will temporarily close nearly 2,000 outlets across the country following the discovery of pests in customer meals.
The closures will begin at 9 am on Monday (31 March 2025) and continue until 9am on Friday (4 April 2025), as the company implements thorough sanitation measures.
The decision comes after two separate incidents where customers found unwanted additions to their meals – a rat in a bowl of miso soup and a cockroach in a takeaway item, reported South China Morning Post.
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“We are taking the situation seriously,” the Tokyo-based company said in a statement released on Saturday.
Recent Pest Incidents
The most recent incident occurred on Friday when a customer reported finding what has been widely identified in Japanese media as a cockroach in a takeaway meal from Sukiya’s Akishima Station South Exit store in Tokyo.
The restaurant manager apologized to the customer, provided a refund, and voluntarily closed the outlet on Friday afternoon.
This follows a more serious incident that Sukiya publicly acknowledged just a week earlier.
In January 2025, a rat was discovered in a bowl of miso soup served at one of its restaurants in Tottori.
According to the company, the rodent was found before it was eaten by the customer.
Nationwide Response
The scale of Sukiya’s response shows the company recognises the potential damage to its reputation.
Nearly all of the chain’s approximately 1,970 outlets will be closed during the four-day period, with exceptions for some locations in shopping centres and shared spaces that Sukiya doesn’t directly own or rent.
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During the closure, each restaurant will undergo extensive deep cleaning and enhanced pest control procedures aimed at preventing insects and animals from entering the premises.
Financial Impact
The disclosure of the rat incident had an immediate impact on financial markets. Following confirmation of the event, shares of parent company Zensho Holdings experienced a notable downturn on the Tokyo Stock Exchange before partially recovering later in the week.
With the announcement of the more recent insect discovery and subsequent large-scale temporary closure, the company’s stock is expected to face renewed scrutiny from investors when trading resumes on Monday.
Previous Measures
After the January incident, Sukiya implemented measures to address structural vulnerabilities, such as cracks in the building, which were identified as potential entry points for pests.
The company also announced that all restaurant locations would undergo regular inspections to identify and seal any structural gaps, and new protocols requiring refrigeration of all rubbish to reduce potential pest infestations.
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Despite these initial steps, the subsequent discovery of an insect in a customer’s meal prompted Sukiya to take more extensive action.
About Sukiya
Sukiya, first opened in Yokohama in 1982, specializes in gyudon (beef bowls) and operates more than 2,000 shops in Japan, with additional branches in Brazil, Mexico, and across Asia.
The chain is owned by Zensho Holdings Corporation, which controls several fast food chains in Japan including Lotteria and Hama-Sushi, as well as the SNOWFOX Sushi and YO! Sushi chains in the US and UK.
According to Zensho’s most recent report, Sukiya operated 1,965 locations in Japan by the end of 2024, surpassing competitors Yoshinoya (with around 1,250 outlets) and Matsuya (with approximately 1,100).
Social Media Impact
The news has shocked some loyal customers, including X user Manarisu, who has gained fame for eating at Sukiya at least once every day for 2,000 consecutive days as of 20 March 2025.
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He’s now asking his 149,000 followers to help him identify Sukiya locations in food courts so he can maintain his streak during the closure period.
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