The collaboration of popular self-service restaurants with popular characters, or brands from other industries, is a common strategy which is likely to continue to be observed in Japan in the forecast period. Examples were seen amongst major udon players in 2023.
Although Japanese consumers may be relatively less interested in environmental issues compared with consumers in European countries or the US, their awareness of sustainability is slowly growing, thanks to a strong push from the government. Especially in consumer foodservice, after the government implemented a new plastic resource recycling promotion law from April 2022, which required restaurants, convenience stores, and retailers to reduce the use of 12 kinds of disposable plastic products, it has become common to see spoons, forks, knives, and straws switched to alternative materials, or consumers may be charged for single-use plastic.
Consumers have been returning to consumer foodservice outlets since COVID-19 has settled down, which is a trend not limited to self-service cafeterias. Nevertheless, takeaway and home delivery will continue to be important components to maximise sales, as consumers have got used to eating at home and have discovered the convenience of such options.
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Self-Service Cafeterias
Self-service cafeterias are outlets where there is no (or limited) service content. Rather than table service, there are food-serving counters/stalls where customers take the food they require as they walk along, placing it on a tray. In addition, there are often stations where customers order food and wait while it is prepared, particularly for items such as hamburgers or tacos which must be served hot and can be prepared quickly. For some food and drink items, customers collect an empty container, pay at the check-out, and fill the container after check-out. Free second servings are often allowed under this system. For legal purposes (and the consumption patterns of customers), this system is rarely or never used for alcoholic beverages. Self-service cafeterias do not have a cover charge, customers are either charged a flat rate for admission (as in a buffet) or pay at the check-out for each item. Some cafeterias also charge by weight. Self-service cafeterias resemble contract catering self-service cafeterias such as canteens, dining halls and cafeterias located within institutions such as a large office building, school and universities. However, fully captive contract self-service cafeterias are excluded from consumer foodservice. Unlike fast food, self-service cafeterias feature a menu comprising full, regular meals, often with a large choice of first course, main course and desserts. As cafeterias can effectively serve large number of customers with comparatively few employees, they are often found within larger complexes, for example, department stores, shopping malls, travel foodservice (motorways stations, railway stations, airports). Self-service cafeteria examples include: Ciao (Autogrill), Flunch (Agapes Restauration SA), IKEA (Inter Ikea Systems BV)
See All of Our DefinitionsThis report originates from Passport, our Self-Service Cafeterias research and analysis database.
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