Yakiniku Business Fair 2009

Consumers worldwide are adjusting their restaurant choices to reflect the current economic conditions. In Japan, that is creating growth opportunities for the more than 21,000 popular Yakiniku tabletop barbecue restaurants that offer affordable and delicious dining experiences.

The growth of Yakiniku restaurants led to Japan’s first ever Yakiniku Business Fair, which drew an estimated 10,000 visitors over two days in January, including a team from USMEF-Japan that distributed more than 1,200 samples of U.S. beef and pork. The USMEF team was supported by funds from the USDA’s Market Access Program (MAP) and beef checkoff funds.

“The show gave us an opportunity to reach out to a lot of small and mid-size restaurants that we wouldn’t reach through our traditional network,” said Greg Hanes, director of USMEF-Japan.

The show, which also drew attention from the Australian and Canadian beef industries as well as five Japanese prefectures promoting their own domestic beef, enabled the USMEF team to pursue two market-expansion strategies. The first is to utilize more cuts from the limited supply of 20 months of age cattle by promoting the acceptance of “select” and “ungraded” U.S. beef in a country that traditionally has been a “choice” grade market.

The second strategy is to develop a broader market for U.S. pork at the popular restaurants. While beef is the predominant favorite at Yakiniku restaurants, USMEF believes there is growth potential for pork as well. Although the current exchange rate and Japanese gate prices system are helping more high value pork cuts, such as tenderloin and back ribs, enter the market, these are still relatively low demand items that traditionally have not been utilized in Japan.

“There will need to be more education to get broader acceptance of U.S. pork back ribs at Yakiniku restaurants, but the response we got at the show was very positive,” said Hanes.

More than three-quarters of those surveyed said the taste of the ribs was “good” or “delicious,” and one in three said they would consider introducing U.S. pork back ribs to their menus.

On the beef side, USMEF focused on promoting ungraded chuck rib. While chuck rib is one of the most popular cuts in Japan, buyers prefer choice or even prime product, and typically haven’t shown much interest in ungraded product due to their lack of familiarity.

“We explained that by using ungraded chuck rib, the buyers could reduce their prime ingredient cost and boost profitability,” Hanes said. The USMEF team served both choice and ungraded chuck rib in a side-by-side comparison, as well as top blade muscle, which is another of the 17 alternative cuts USMEF has developed to expand product availability in Japan.

The side-by-side chuck rib taste comparison was successful, with 80 percent of respondents unable to differentiate between the two, stating that both samples were delicious.

Consumers worldwide are adjusting their restaurant choices to reflect the current economic conditions. In Japan, that is creating growth opportunities for the more than 21,000 popular Yakiniku tabletop barbecue restaurants that offer affordable and delicious dining experiences.

The growth of Yakiniku restaurants led to Japan’s first ever Yakiniku Business Fair, which drew an estimated 10,000 visitors over two days in January, including a team from USMEF-Japan that distributed more than 1,200 samples of U.S. beef and pork. The USMEF team was supported by funds from the USDA’s Market Access Program (MAP) and beef checkoff funds.

“The show gave us an opportunity to reach out to a lot of small and mid-size restaurants that we wouldn’t reach through our traditional network,” said Greg Hanes, director of USMEF-Japan.

The show, which also drew attention from the Australian and Canadian beef industries as well as five Japanese prefectures promoting their own domestic beef, enabled the USMEF team to pursue two market-expansion strategies. The first is to utilize more cuts from the limited supply of 20 months of age cattle by promoting the acceptance of “select” and “ungraded” U.S. beef in a country that traditionally has been a “choice” grade market.

The second strategy is to develop a broader market for U.S. pork at the popular restaurants. While beef is the predominant favorite at Yakiniku restaurants, USMEF believes there is growth potential for pork as well. Although the current exchange rate and Japanese gate prices system are helping more high value pork cuts, such as tenderloin and back ribs, enter the market, these are still relatively low demand items that traditionally have not been utilized in Japan.

“There will need to be more education to get broader acceptance of U.S. pork back ribs at Yakiniku restaurants, but the response we got at the show was very positive,” said Hanes.

More than three-quarters of those surveyed said the taste of the ribs was “good” or “delicious,” and one in three said they would consider introducing U.S. pork back ribs to their menus.

On the beef side, USMEF focused on promoting ungraded chuck rib. While chuck rib is one of the most popular cuts in Japan, buyers prefer choice or even prime product, and typically haven’t shown much interest in ungraded product due to their lack of familiarity.

“We explained that by using ungraded chuck rib, the buyers could reduce their prime ingredient cost and boost profitability,” Hanes said. The USMEF team served both choice and ungraded chuck rib in a side-by-side comparison, as well as top blade muscle, which is another of the 17 alternative cuts USMEF has developed to expand product availability in Japan.

The side-by-side chuck rib taste comparison was successful, with 80 percent of respondents unable to differentiate between the two, stating that both samples were delicious.