Japanese sushi restaurant drives people crazy in China:Millennials Gen-Z wait for up to 14 hrs in line to taste excellent quality lower priced sushi

A Japanese restaurant chain in China has driven young people crazy. Japan’s famous conveyor-belt sushi chain ‘Sushiro’ has become a major social media trend among China’s ‘MZ Generation’ (Millennials and Gen-Z). People are willing to wait 5 to 14 hours to eat sushi here. The biggest reason for this craze is videos going viral on social media platforms Douyin and Xiaohongshu. Chinese youth are stacking empty plates one on top of another after eating at the restaurant to create tall towers, which have been named ‘Sushiro Towers’. Videos of towers 60 to 80 plates high are receiving millions and billions of likes. Due to this craze, the company has achieved 70% of its full-year operating profit target in just the first half of the current financial year. The company’s shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange have surged 23% this year. It has also outperformed Japan’s benchmark index Topix. Sushiro entered China from Guangzhou in 2021, but its popularity skyrocketed after its entry into Shanghai last year. Taking advantage of this craze, some people are even selling their waiting queue numbers on second-hand trading platforms for approximately ₹420. Sushiro has also added an entertainment twist along with food to keep customers engaged. The company has an in-store digital ordering system called ‘Digiro’ in its stores. Under this, any customer who spends 60 yuan (approximately 840 rupees) or more gets a chance to play a digital lottery game on the screen. Winners of this game receive toys featuring sushi characters and other attractive prizes, which are greatly appealing to young people. Much cheaper compared to other sushi chains; Quality is also excellent The precise weapon during recession: The biggest pillar of Sushiro’s success is its affordability. In China’s stores, the price of one plate of sushi ranges between ₹112 to 392. Deng Danshan, a 24-year-old working woman living in Shenzhen, says, ‘I go to Sushiro at least once a week. I eat about 25 plates at a time and my bill comes to approximately 200 yuan (around ₹2,800). This is quite cheap compared to other sushi chains in the market and its quality is also excellent.’ ​