Sukiya Beefs Up Prices, Pioneers Late-Night Surcharge

Apr 04, 2024 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Beef bowls at Sukiya will see a price increase from April 3, along with a late-night surcharge, a first among major beef bowl chains.

Late-night diners have their say: "There's nothing like Sukiya's greasy good eats in the wee hours."

With a 30 yen increase, the price of a regular beef bowl, previously frozen at 400 yen for over two years, will now be 430 yen.

Indulging in a beef bowl after hours will also cost you more. The daytime price of 430 yen will jump to 460 yen at night, marking the chain's first foray into nationwide late-night pricing.

Customers spending their "last night" of 400-yen beef bowls shared their thoughts: "It's going up? Well, that's just how it goes," and "Given the rise in wages, the price hike seems fair. It's our way of showing appreciation for the staff."

The national minimum wage has increased by nearly 250 yen in the last decade, breaking the 1,000 yen threshold in 2023 to stand at 1,004 yen. Furthermore, the law mandates a 25% hourly pay bump for late-night work.

"The late-night hourly wage at Sukiya's Shinjuku Minami store is an impressive 1,688 yen," reported a journalist.

Experts believe that price adjustments are necessary for chains to sustain late-night operations in the current economic climate.

Shigeyuki Tsukiyama, Editor-in-Chief at "Monthly Shokudo," Shibata Bookstore, explains, "Without wage increases, businesses risk losing the talent war. Labor costs are set to rise across the board. How consumers respond will either encourage other businesses to follow suit or deter them if they believe price increases will drive customers away. Sukiya's move could very well be a test case."

Source: TBS

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