Tuna and Salmon: The Conveyor-belt Sushi War 2026 – Latest Report

New Force and the Four Major Chains

Matsuya Foods, the leader in the restaurant industry, is finally making a serious attempt to capture the conveyor-belt sushi market. Sushimatsu, an order-made conveyor-belt sushi restaurant operated by the company that also operates Matsuya, a major beef bowl restaurant chain, and the Matsunoya pork cutlet chain, is steadily increasing the number of its outlets.

Sushimatsu has been gaining momentum in recent years, opening its first restaurant in the Kansai region in September 2012 and another in Higashi-Shinjuku in 2013. While most conveyor-belt sushi chains serve items in two-piece portions, all Sushimatsu sushi can be ordered in single-piece portions (starting at 77 yen). The restaurant also offers a wide variety of fried food sides, such as “Large Fried Horse Mackerel” (319 yen) and “Fried Oysters” (429 yen). Currently, there are only 20 stores, mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area, but with the marketing power of Matsuya Foods, it has the potential to expand rapidly,” said food analyst Takao Shigemori.

Uobei,” operated by Genki Global Dining Concepts, which has more than 200 Genki Sushi restaurants overseas, is also expanding its presence in Japan, with more than 180 restaurants in the country.

On the other hand, the “four major conveyor-belt sushi chains” of Sushiro, Hamazushi, Kurazushi, and Kappa Zushi, which have long been vying for supremacy in the industry, are under pressure to make major changes.

The weak yen has increased the cost of procuring marine products, and the soaring price of rice is also weighing heavily on them. If the low-priced chains, which until recently were selling at the low price of 100 yen per plate, were to raise their prices further without thinking, it could cause a major loss of customers. The current boom is not so much in the low-priced conveyor-belt sushi chains, but in the high-end gourmet conveyor-belt sushi chains such as Nemuro Hanamaru, Triton, and Kanazawa Maimon Sushi. However, if the price goes from ¥360 to ¥400, it will not seem as if the price has gone up that much.

If they raise prices too much, they will be competing with new rivals, and if they decide to maintain prices, they will be directly affected by the soaring cost of raw materials. Under these difficult circumstances, what strategies are companies adopting? The key words are “side menu” and “family-oriented. Since sushi is a product with a high cost ratio, efficient sales of side menu items will directly lead to profits. To achieve this, it is important to attract group customers, such as families, and raise the “unit price per pair,” rather than the price per customer.

Hamazushi, a subsidiary of Zensho Holdings, which operates Sukiya, the largest beef bowl restaurant in Japan, continues to grow, backed by the strong procurement power of its parent company, as does Sushimatsu.

The price per plate is ¥110 and up, the lowest among the major companies, and the restaurant also offers a unique Zensho Group weapon: meat nigiri. In addition to chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) and miso soup, as well as udon and ramen noodles, the restaurant also offers an extensive side menu that includes “umadashi takoyaki” (6 pieces starting at 363 yen) and “karaage chicken” (4 pieces starting at 363 yen). In addition, the sashimi menu has been eliminated in order to focus on families with a high unit price who enjoy eating in large groups, rather than customers who drink sake with their side dishes.
The sushi, too, has always been small, inexpensive, and delicious since the restaurant’s founding, and both price and quality have been maintained,” said B-class gourmet food explorer Yagyu Kyubei.

When this reporter visited Hama Sushi in Tokyo and ordered one of the signature dishes, “Salmon,” he found that the fatty fish and the small size of the rice were a perfect match. I felt that the salmon sushi was the best among the four major chains in terms of completeness. Hamazushi, which combines quality with low price, is the last of the four major chains, but it continues to make rapid progress, ranking second in the industry with annual sales of 248.4 billion yen.

Part 2: Is Sushiro the Champion on Solid Ground? Conveyor-belt sushi war 2026

From the January 23, 2026 issue of FRIDAY