Standing-style restaurants that serve you high-quality wagyu (Japanese beef) are increasing in number in Japan. People stay shorter when eating whilst standing so they can serve more customers per day and that’s how they lower the operational cost and serve you high-quality wagyu at very reasonable price.
Ikinari Steak is always full of businessmen during lunch hours. (in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo)
One pioneering standing yakiniku restaurant is already popular among customers of all ages. However, one of the reasons for their success is the rise in the number of ohitori-sama, which literally means person doing things alone in Japanese. According to one private survey, yakiniku restaurants are high on the list of the restaurants that are found to be difficult for those who choose to dine out alone to enter. Standing-style will make it a lot easier for them to come and also for the restaurants to capture the growing and lucrative market of ohitorisama.
At Jiromaru, a pioneering standing yakiniku restaurant, you can order fresh-cut meat by piece. (in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo)
“A5-ranked Nagasaki wagyu sirloin for 300 yen” and “Brisket for 270 yen” says the menu on the wall. There are six personal-size grills on the counter and customers are making their orders, standing, and cooking their meat on the grills.
It’s always like this in this restaurant called Jiromaru, a standing yakiniku restaurant in Shinjuku, Tokyo. It keeps a row of fresh cuts of the highest A4/5-ranked wagyu meat of about 10-cm-thick in a sushi restaurant-style showcase in front of the counter. A man behind the counter will cut the pieces right in front of you when you order. It’s almost like a luxurious sushi bar but it’s not.