"Shaved ice has started" GDP historically deteriorated at 16:42 on August 17th

The new coronavirus has lost the day-to-day conversation we had with our family, colleagues and friends in the town while eating. From April to June, Japan's real GDP (Gross Domestic Product) recorded a historical decline of minus 27.8% annually. The economy is serious. Since August 3, Tokyo has been seeking trial and error to find ways to survive this summer by calling for restaurants that serve alcohol to shorten business hours. Can you give us some hints about the attempt? I thought so and looked at the city.
(Reporter, Ministry of Economy, Yukiyo Nagano)

The shaved ice that is hot topic in the heat

When I heard that there was an unusual store, I headed to Adachi-ku, Tokyo.

Wind chimes are lined up at the entrance. A cool sound echoes and the goodwill is "Pure ice shaved ice Genya-do." This is a shaved ice shop that opened in late May. Couples and neighbors were visiting one after another in the heat of the day.

One hot selling item is 1250 yen! "Whole melon milk" full of melons. It looks like you want to post it on SNS.

However, it looks like an ordinary shaved ice shop. It doesn't look like a strange store.

However, the atmosphere of the store changed completely in the evening. The clerk's uniform changed and charcoal fire appeared. The goodwill at the entrance was also replaced with "Nakatsune Motoya".

That's right. This shop is actually a yakitori shop. It changes its appearance with yakitori at night and shaved ice at noon. We have 16 stores in Tokyo and Chiba, but it means that we started shaved ice at 4 stores including this store.

KUURAKU Mr. Saito:
“I had a big drop in night sales due to the influence of corona, so I decided to start something at noon, but I think that I could not fight even if I had lunch because any restaurant started lunch. So, when I was wearing a mask in the summer, it was very hot, so I thought that it would increase demand for cool sweets, so I decided to develop a new brand with shaved ice."

That said, staff members who usually grill yakitori. This is my first time making shaved ice. It seems that the ice was shaved every day for two weeks before the opening. We conducted repeated research to adjust the angles of the teeth to be cut to give the fluffy texture of ice, and to improve the syrup so that the shaved ice pile would not collapse. The price range of shaved ice is about 1,000 yen, which is not cheap, but it is popular with couples and women.

Shaved ice accounts for a quarter of sales

The group is closed from April 3 to May 27 following the declaration of emergency. By the end of June when we resumed business, the number of customers visiting the store returned to about 70% of the previous year.

However, due to the increase in the number of infected people, the number of customers has fallen again, and the sales on the night of August have decreased to 30% of the previous year. On the other hand, the shaved ice in the daytime was strong, and some stores accounted for a quarter of the total sales.

For this reason, I start shaved ice at other stores. Furthermore, in winter, we are considering opening a store at a specialty store for roasted sweet potatoes and soup powder and opening it.

We are also continuing trial and error, such as running a kitchen car in an office building in the city center and starting a mail-order and delivery service for yakitori. We are desperately trying to find out how to make money until the infection is resolved.

KUURAKU Saito:
“Customers really want to eat out, but I think they are tolerated by Corona. We also endure, and if the customers can't come, go to the kitchen car to deliver, or at night. If it's no good, I'll try new things, such as developing a lunch brand.''

Day and night sales that have begun to spread

Efforts to change stores between day and night are beginning to spread. Diamond Dining, a food and drink chain, has set up Italian restaurants in Akasaka and Shimbashi, Tokyo, and specializes in steak during lunch hours.

The menu is only steak and the amount of meat can be selected from 150 grams to 450 grams.

Initially, I started lunch with pasta, etc., but sales did not grow, so I decided to go for a strategy aiming for impact.

Now, he said that he started to earn about 30% of all sales by steak. With many competitors wondering how to make up for the fall in sales at night, we are continuing to compare our wisdom to capture the needs.

Do you have a need for a quick standing drink?

A leading food chain, Pronto, opened a standing-drink style store in Minato-ku, Tokyo on the 29th of last month (July).

The target is female. I saw the need for one person or a very small number of people to stop by and have a quick meal on the way home from work.

You can sit and eat like a typical izakaya, but the basic style is standing.

The cafes and izakaya that we have developed have assumed the needs of girls' associations. We also prepared a menu where salads and raw hams are served on a large plate and separated by tongs, but this time, all dishes are served on a small plate.

Mr. Taniguchi, Pronto: Due to
the influence of corona, we no longer have the opportunity to gather and eat a large number of people, but we feel the needs of customers who want to eat outside with one person or a small number of people instead of home delivery or takeout. It's a groping, but I want to create a new store shape while thoroughly implementing infection prevention measures.

Assuming that customers will not return

This time, the restaurants I visited are continuing to search on the premise that "customers will not return unless the infection is resolved". Experts in restaurant format development and production analyze the current state of the industry in this way.

Ability Association Hayato Asari President,
"Do you want to change the business format, wait patiently, or close the business? There are now three. There are various subsidies at the shop that starts takeout, but without knowing that, the future There are shops that are pessimistic and close their business. It is necessary to be cautious about starting something new because it requires money and physical strength, but if you do not lighten your footwork, you can not survive as it is.

"Respond to change" "Continue to challenge". The challenge that has always been sought in any industry is now being prominently seen in the familiar food and drink industry due to the headwind of the spread of infection. I think that there is a hint to overcome this situation in trial and error, so I will continue to cover the situation.

Ministry of Economics reporter
Sachiyo Nagano
Joined
in 2011 After working at Gifu Broadcasting Station and Kagoshima Broadcasting Station,
currently in charge of the Ministry of Finance