Yoshinoya
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Established in 1899 in Japan, Yoshinoya (吉野家) is the largest chain among beef bowl (or gyūdon) restaurants and one of the leading fast food chains in Japan. It is often shortened to "yoshi gyū" (meaning Yoshinoya's beef) among its enthusiasts. Its popular motto is "cheap, quick and yummy".
In the early 2000s, Yoshinoya triggered a discount war in Japan along with other chains such as McDonald's, by introducing a regular gyudon dish for 280 yen.
However, in late 2001, a domestic mad cow incident critically damaged its beef bowl sales. In late 2003, Japan suspended imports of American beef due to a BSE incident in Washington, cutting off Yoshinoya's main source of short plate (a.k.a. fatty beef) that is the main component of its beef bowl. This forced Yoshinoya to terminate gyudon sales in Japan (the first time in its history) on February 11, 2004. News of the removal of this item from Yoshinoya's menu caused its fans and non-fans alike to queue on massive lines at Yoshinoya restaurants all around Japan to taste what may be their last beef bowl for a long time. Obviously, Yoshinoya restaurants in America continue to sell the beef bowl using American short plate.
Yoshinoya has ambitious plans to expand its chain overseas. [1] (http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nb20020306a8.htm) [2] (http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nb20011213a8.htm)
External links
- Yoshinoya (http://www.yoshinoya-dc.com/eng/n_top.html)