Feb 02 (Nikkei) - Japanese restaurants that have shortened operating hours during the pandemic are relying increasingly on frozen food vending machines to make up for the lost traffic.
Over 1,000 such vending machines have been installed to serve customers after hours. Ringer Hut, the chain of noodle restaurants, is among the early adopters.
A bright-yellow vending machine at a Ringer Hut in Tokyo sells six types of frozen meal kits carrying the restaurant's brand. The Nagasaki Champon dish, which goes for 500 yen ($4.33), is ready to eat in two minutes after adding the ingredients in boiling water.
Ringer Hut locations used to stay open around the clock or until 1 a.m., but the coronavirus outbreak compelled the chain to move the closing time to 11 p.m. Revenue for the year ended February 2021 shrank 28%.
Ringer Hut originally offered frozen versions of its menu items prior to the pandemic. But when the company first placed vending machines at five locations, December sales from frozen meals rose two and a half times compared with September.
The chain now has vending machines at 25 restaurants, with plans to reach 55 within the year.
Matsuya Foods Holdings also installed vending machines in November at restaurants it operates in Tokyo. Like Ringer Hut, Matsuya's food machines were developed by Sanden Retail Systems, a manufacturer based in Tokyo.
This trend echoes the success of U.S. food vending machine startup Yo-Kai Express. In November, the company rolled out its first machine in Japan at Tokyo's Shibuya ward.
Yo-Kai's proprietary steaming tech rapidly heats the frozen food to enjoy on the spot. A ramen bowl takes only about a minute to prepare.
