Restaurant chain Yoshinoya Holdings Co. booked a group net loss of ¥839 million in the first three quarters of the current business year, a turnaround from a profit of ¥1.55 billion a year earlier.

Yoshinoya blamed the March-November loss largely on extraordinary losses resulting from the closure of 23 restaurants operated by subsidiary Kyotaru Co.

For the entire business year to Feb. 28, Yoshinoya is maintaining its earnings projection made in October, forecasting a net profit of ¥50 million, down 73.2 percent from the previous year, on a 15.5 percent increase in sales to ¥180 billion.