Yoshinoya’s Efforts to Attract Female Customers with Health-Conscious Ostrich Rice Bowl and Beauty Products Amid Fallout from Shabu-Marinated Remarks

The first impression was a roast beef rice bowl topped with an egg yolk. The meat had less of a distinctive taste than expected, with a light flavor due to its low-fat red meat. However, its thickness provided a satisfying bite. Despite the somewhat high price of 1,683 yen (including tax), the dish was satisfying and paired well with the egg.

What the reporter had was Yoshinoya’s limited-edition ‘Ostrich Rice Bowl’ released in August. It is being offered in about 400 stores nationwide with a limit of 60,000 servings. Ostrich meat is high in protein and low in calories, and is believed to have beauty and health benefits.

Economic journalist Takashi Matsuzaki speculates on Yoshinoya’s intention behind the release of the ‘Ostrich Rice Bowl’:

“The goal is likely to attract female customers. Yoshinoya is not only serving ostrich meat as a dish but is also using high-beauty-fat components and selling beauty products through affiliated companies (‘Glamorous Booster Oil’ at 15,400 yen, ‘Glamorous Aging Cream’ at 16,500 yen, etc.). It is said to have high skin moisturizing effects.”

 

Yoshinoya’s Focus on the ‘Black Yoshinoya’

Yoshinoya’s new strategy targeting women is not a recent development. Matsuzaki continues:

“They have enlisted model and talent Nico Fujita, who enjoys overwhelming support from young women, for their advertisements. They are also increasing the number of female employees. A key part of their focus is the ‘Black Yoshinoya,’ which features a striking black sign. The store offers a wide range of menu items, including a drink bar and cakes, and has a calm, café-like atmosphere that is welcoming for women to visit alone.

Yoshinoya seems to be aiming to shift away from the image of ‘fast food for male office workers.’ Until now, Yoshinoya has opened many stores near business districts, leveraging the advantages of being ‘cheap and quick’ to provide beef bowls to working men. However, Yoshinoya Holdings’ net profit for March to May this year was approximately 33% lower than the same period last year. It seems they have determined that attracting female customers is crucial to offsetting the losses.”

It’s not just the image of being a ‘male-centric store’ that has driven women away; the incident in April 2022 involving remarks by a former executive likely exacerbated the issue. During a lecture aimed at working adults, the male executive made comments about Yoshinoya’s marketing strategies.

“A scheme where a young girl from the countryside, who knows nothing, uses it for the first time and becomes marinated in shabu.”

The “shabu-marinated remarks” quickly became a major scandal. It’s understandable that Yoshinoya is desperately trying to regain trust from female customers. Will the company be able to overcome the fallout from the “executive remarks” and the image of being a “male-centric store”? Matsuzaki comments:

“I think it’s currently difficult. Rivals like Sukiya and Matsuya have long been expanding suburban stores, enriching their children’s menus and sweets, and successfully attracting families and female customers. Yoshinoya’s new strategy undeniably feels like a late follow-up. For real change, they need to implement radical reforms, such as having more than half of their executives be women. They must adopt innovative ideas from a female perspective; otherwise, they won’t be able to break the current situation.”

Will the ‘Ostrich Rice Bowl’ and beauty products resonate with female customers? Yoshinoya’s challenge seems to be just beginning.