JA Zen-Noh Meat Foods Ltd., a subsidiary of the National Federation of Agricultural Co-operative Associations (JA Zen-Noh) which specializes in beef and pork sales, will start a soft opening of the second branch of its Japanese-style barbecue shop in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Aug. 27.
Located in Tsim Sha Tsui, a major tourist hub on the tip of the Kowloon Peninsula with a number of luxury hotels, Japanese Wagyu Yakiniku Pure will offer premium beef dishes targeted at local people and tourists.
The restaurant’s grand opening is scheduled on Oct. 1.
The first Pure restaurant opened in February last year at Causeway Bay, a fashionable shopping district in Hong Kong Island, with the hope of promoting Japanese Wagyu beef abroad and expanding Japan’s beef exports.
The 34-seat restaurant gained reputation through magazine reports and word of mouth, as barbecue shops focusing on Wagyu beef were rare. In March, it was chosen as the Best New Restaurant by Open Rice, the most popular dining guide website in Hong Kong. The restaurant’s sales hit roughly HK$8.5 million (JPY117 million) in the 2013 business year.
One of the reasons for its popularity was the fact that Pure offers high-quality Wagyu beef at prices 20 to 30 percent lower than beef with similar quality served at other restaurants. It also has beef shabu-shabu and sukiyaki hot pots.
The 94-seat second branch, located on the lower ground floor of the Hilton Tower, is larger than the first restaurant and offers other Japanese dishes such as sushi and tempura in addition to beef menus in order to attract wider range of customers.
The branch hopes to gain HK$4 million (JPY52 million) sales in the six months of the first business year, and HK$17 million (JPY220 million) annual sales in the 2015 business year. JA Zen-Noh strongly hopes that the restaurants will help promote the high quality, deliciousness and safety of Wagyu beef produced in Japan.
(Aug. 22, 2014)