20200531 (Sunday) Coronavirus Digest from Japanese Morning TV News Part 3: Share restaurant

I am something of a completist (which is why I somehow managed to get through all of Z Nation and The Walking Dead without much caring about either of them) so I thought I would post these photos of the Share Restaurant system that was featured on the news today. This is more an overview of the story than a direct translation of the slides (which I photographed very sparingly).

This is not very exciting stuff, and actually I’ve seen restaurant systems like this before Covid anyway, for example where you can order from various restaurants and sit in a communal area – Grand Front Osaka is like that, for one.

Anyway,,,

See photo captions for stories.

Photo 01

So today’s special feature was on how financially struggling restaurants are turning to a Share Restaurant system.

Photo 02

Here is one chef making Western food and another making sweet desserts.

Photo 03

Actually the chefs of five different restaurants are all working under one roof.

Photo 04

They are doing delivery [as well as eat in]

Photo 05

• You can order items from the menus of all five restaurants in a single order.
• And the single “shop” as a whole has a contract with a major food delivery company [Uber Eats]

Photo 06

• For the joining restaurants, there are no startup costs.
• A set amount is taken from their revenue.

Photo 07

Some chefs here have closed their own shops and moved over to this system.

Photo 08

This guy’s own shop’s main customers were businesspeople and students but with online lessons and telework, he doesn’t have any customers in his location right now.

Photo 09

[Even after the State of Emergency is lifted] “it will still be a while before the customers come back.”

Photo 10

And given that he would have to reduce the number of seats available in order to prevent infection, it would be difficult to make any money.

Photo 11

He applied to register with Uber Eats but they told him that they have had such an influx of applications that there was a 3-month waiting list.

Photo 12

…So he was unable to get started on that immediately.

Photo 13

So now he rents space in this other restaurant [in a more conducive location and with access to Uber Eats]. This arrangement also helps reduce the overheads of the owner of the restaurant he is renting space in. The owner is also struggling financially due to low traffic and high rent (her restaurant overlooks the Sumida river).

Photo 14

Furthermore, the restaurants target and a main source of custom was overseas’ tourists – a source that has basically completely dried up right now.