Major Japanese restaurant chains posted solid consolidated profits for the first half of the year, or quarter ended June, helped by higher menu prices that boosted spending per customer.
These chains managed to attract customers after the price increases by actively launching new menus and products with a limited validity period.
Skylark Holdings’ net profit rose about 11 times in the first half of the year to ¥6.2 billion. Expenses per customer rose about 3% due to price increases at restaurants such as Gusto. The number of customers increased 9% due to the popularity of menus featuring popular animated characters.
McDonald’s Holdings reported record operating and net profits for the first half. Net profit rose 31 percent to ¥14.8 billion. Net profit at Royal Holding doubled to ¥2.9 billion.
Zensho Holdings, the operator of beef bowl chain Sukiya, posted record sales and profits for the April-June period as it lured customers with limited-time items after raising prices on some menu items. Net profit rose 61.7% to ¥10.7 billion.
Net profit of Colowide, which runs a variety of restaurants ranging from sushi to yakiniku barbecue fell 50.1% to ¥1 billion, due to higher advertising costs.
Executives were cautious about their profit outlook.
McDonald’s executive Shuko Yoshida said the company is “concerned about the impact of a weak yen on consumer demand and rising costs for ingredients such as beef and potatoes.”
According to Minoru Kanaya, Skylark’s president, the company expects to face “accelerated cost increases due to higher minimum wages and rising rice prices.”
