Monday, June 26, 2006
Move over Big Mac, octopus dumplings on fast-food horizon (Red Eye Chicago, 26 Jun 2006, Page 10)
Red Eye Chicago
26 Jun 2006
If Morio Sase has his way, hungry teenagers around the world will soon be snacking on something more exotic than McDonald’s hamburgers: takoyaki, or octopus dumplings.
With more than 350 takeout stores in Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan already, Sase’s Gindaco chain is one of a barrage of fast-food companies bringing lowbrow Japanese chow to overseas markets. Its first U.S. store is scheduled to open in L.A. in 2007, and it hopes to open 20 stores in California by 2010.
“When I was a small boy, it was street food that made me feel good and warm inside,’’ Sase said.
Faced with uncertain demand for fast food as Japan’s population ages, an increasing number of the nation’s chains are looking overseas for new markets.
One of the first Japanese fast-food chains to head overseas was the beef bowl chain Yoshinoya D&C Co. Since its first U.S. store in Denver in 1975, Yoshinoya’s American network has grown to 82 eateries in California and New York.
Part of the fun of the octopus dumplings is watching them being cooked. It takes the chefs months to learn to grill the takoyaki to a crisp golden brown on... read more...
