Fast-food chain Sukiya, the largest beef bowl chain in Japan, will temporarily close nearly 2,000 stores from March 31 to April 4 after two incidents of food contamination.
According to a Sukiya statement, a rat was found in miso soup served at a branch in Western Japan in January. On Friday, another incident occurred at a store in Tokyo, where a insect was found in a dish.
Because of this, Sukiya decided to close almost all of its branches in Japan to implement stricter cleaning and pest control.
Sukiya, which is owned by Zensho Holdings, had 1,965 stores in Japan as of 2024, more than rivals Yoshinoya (1,250 stores) and Matsuya (1,100 stores). In addition, it also has 650 stores overseas, including China, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.
In an official statement, Sukiya said:
"We deeply regret what happened. We take this incident seriously and apologize to our customers."
