NEWSWORTHY
Seven Ikinari Steak restaurants in New York to close due to poor profitability
Seven of the 11 Ikinari Steak restaurants in New York operated by Pepper Food Service Co. will close, the Japanese company's U.S. unit announced. The operator of the stand-up steakhouse chain has judged it would be difficult to improve the loss-making outlets' profitability. Of the ...
Sommelier lapel pins — some fake — sold online in Japan despite ban
The Japan Sommelier Association has found that pins it issues to those who pass the sommelier and other wine expert qualifications have been sold on auction sites despite a ban, and that some of the pins are fake, association officials said Monday. The association has ...
Mos Burger announces switch to paper cutlery across Japan in bid to curb plastic waste
Major hamburger chain operator Mos Food Services Inc. has said it will switch from plastic to paper cutlery for takeout food at its corporate-owned outlets as it joins growing efforts to tackle the issue of plastic waste littering the oceans. The firm will implement the ...
Michelin again awards stars to the chef who doesn't want them
A French chef who shocked the culinary world by handing back his Michelin stars was stunned Monday to find himself back in the prestigious guide's new edition. Sebastien Bras cited the "huge pressure" that came with Michelin recognition when he asked in September 2017 for ...
In a Tokyo neighborhood's last sushi restaurant, a sense of loss
"I'll have a draft," says Yasuo Fujinuma, heaving himself down at the sushi counter. He pulls a pack of cigarettes from a frayed pocket of his sweater. From the corner of the restaurant, a small TV hums the noon weather forecast. He never drinks ...
Two of the first kanji Conner Lowe learned were the ones that make up the word daizu, meaning soybeans. For him, knowing those two characters, 大豆, is a matter of life and death because he has a serious allergy to legumes. After the native of Santa ...
Tokyo holds on to coveted spot as city with most stars in 2019 Michelin Guide
Tokyo has once again been hailed as the culinary capital of the world, holding on to its coveted spot as the city with the most Michelin-starred restaurants on the planet, the French company revealed Tuesday. The capital, which in the 2019 Tokyo Michelin Guide boasts ...
Japan's industries are ready to hire foreign workers, but concerns remain
More than 345,000 blue-collar foreign laborers are expected to enter Japan within a five-year period starting from fiscal 2019, but expectations as to their status and potential appear to differ significantly between the industries they are set to join. Some simply consider them labor, while ...
Panasonic teams up with Chinese hot pot chain Haidilao to open robot restaurants
In Haidilao International Holding Ltd.'s hot pot restaurants, robots are replacing chefs and waiters. Asia's biggest listed restaurant chain by market value is partnering with Panasonic Corp. to open what the two companies say is the world's first eatery with a fully automated kitchen on ...
California restaurants will soon stop providing plastic straws unless customers explicitly ask for them under a new law signed on Thursday by the state's environment-friendly governor. Gov. Jerry Brown said he hoped the measure — which goes into effect next year and is the first ...
French restaurants look to asylum seekers to fill jobs but face bureaucratic delays
Restaurateurs in France want the government to speed up its asylum process and make it easier to identify suitable staff to help them fill thousands of jobs they say are increasingly snubbed by French workers. The hotel, cafe and restaurant union GNI-Synhorcat says some businesses ...
Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain wins posthumous Emmys for 'Parts Unknown'
U.S. celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, who committed suicide in June at age 61, posthumously earned a pair of Emmy Awards on Sunday for his work on the popular CNN food-and-travel show he hosted, "Parts Unknown." Bourdain was awarded one of the Emmys, the U.S. television ...
