Kenji Tamura’s Return and Miyasako’s Gain in Yakiniku Revitalization

Talent Kenji Tamura appeared as a guest on talent Hiroyuki Miyazaki’s YouTube channel on November 7 and visited Miyazaki’s “Gyū Miyajō,” a yakiniku restaurant owned by his junior.

While tasting some dishes, he revealed that the yakiniku restaurant he owns is facing a tough situation.

Furthermore, on November 9, he updated another video on Miyazaki’s channel titled:

“Regarding the reconstruction of Yakiniku Tamura, we have an announcement.”

In the video, he announced that he would be returning from the United States indefinitely to focus on the reconstruction of his yakiniku restaurant.

If it continues like this, will it last until spring?

Tamura has been running “Charcoal Grill Tamura” for 17 years, expanding nationwide and even internationally. According to the website, there are six stores, including related ones.

“After the pandemic, I thought the customers would gradually return, but it has been much slower than I imagined. Still. The location might be part of the issue, but it’s not just that. It’s more about stagnation. I haven’t been doing the things I should have been doing.”

He reflected on the situation and confessed that he had taken out loans to protect his employees’ livelihoods, but the repayments have not been keeping up, and he is struggling with rising costs for meat and utilities.

“If it continues like this, will it last until spring, or not? The speed at which things have gotten worse is incredible. It’s fast. Suddenly, everything just hit.”

He expressed the crisis of potentially having to close down.

 

However, on social networking sites

“Please concentrate on serving your customers.

Customers don’t care about mannerisms as long as the food is good.

Many people on social networking sites are urging Tamura to get up the courage to make his “excuses.

However, on SNS and other platforms, there are many comments urging Tamura to step up:

“Please focus on working at the store and providing service yourself.”

“If the food is good, customers won’t care about monotony.”

These comments seem to encourage Tamura to rise above his excuses.

“Originally, it was a yakiniku restaurant run by his ex-wife’s family. Tamura frequently advertised it on TV, and it became a success. With explosive momentum, it expanded overseas and even started online sales, but recently, there have been no good stories. He was linked to an incident where he reportedly attended a hotel party with ‘Downtown’ Matsumoto and was mentioned in the ‘TamuKen Time’ (which he denied). Also, in July this year, a partner managing his ‘Yakinabe Meat Tamura’ business was arrested for a ¥87 million fraud case, making it truly a bad luck streak for him,” said a tabloid show insider.

Starting the Yakiniku Tamura Reconstruction Project

Hearing that he runs several yakiniku restaurants in Japan while living leisurely in Los Angeles, one might think of him as quite a successful person. However, as Tamura’s confession suggests, the reality of his business is likely far from smooth.

“After all, the actions of Tamura, who is the face of the store, can change the store’s situation. That’s why it seems he plans to return to Japan and lead from the front. With the support of Daisuke Honda, the producer of Miyazaki’s yakiniku restaurant ‘Gyugyōji,’ he has launched the ‘Yakiniku Tamura Reconstruction Project.’ For Miyazaki, this is an opportunity to generate views and maintain his image as a good older brother helping a struggling junior, making it a clear fishing for benefits situation,” said a women’s magazine reporter.

Despite his TV comeback after five years with local TV station TV Saitama, Miyazaki’s primary platform remains YouTube, and the reconstruction of Yakiniku Tamura is likely to become a major project.

Tamura’s yakiniku restaurant, once facing the risk of bankruptcy due to his dream of living in America, now faces a crucial challenge. Will Miyazaki’s expertise help turn things around?