Maruha Nichiro : Results of the Maruha Nichiro Consumer Survey on Conveyor Belt Sushi 2024

Mar 29, 2024

Results of the Maruha Nichiro Consumer Survey on

Conveyor Belt Sushi 2024"

Maruha Nichiro Corporation (2-20, 3-chome, Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Masaru Ikemi) conducted its 14th annual Consumer Survey on Conveyor Belt Sushi in 2024. Over a three-day period from February 20 to 22, we collected valid responses from some 3,000 men and women aged 15 to 59 nationwide who use conveyor belt sushi restaurants at least once a month. (Online survey operated by Net Asia Co., Ltd.)

* The surveys have been conducted nationwide since 2019. Previous surveys from 2012 to 2018 targeted the Kanto region (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Tochigi, Ibaraki, and Gunma prefectures) and Kansai (Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Wakayama, and Shiga prefectures).

Reasons for Choosing a Conveyor Belt Sushi Restaurant

Top 3 factors in choosing a conveyor belt sushi restaurant: Low price, Close to home, Fresh ingredients

About 60% of respondents make reservations by phone or online app

80% usually sit at tables rather than at counters; 90% of teenage women usually sit at tables

Amount eaten at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant

How many plates of sushi do you eat at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant? Men average 11.8 plates, women average 8.1 plates

By area, Shikoku is the highest with an average of 11.3 plates

How much do you pay at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant? Men average ¥2,018 per person, women average ¥1,590 per person.

By area, Hokkaido is the highest with an average of ¥1,984 per person

What amount of payment makes you feel that you've eaten too much at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant? For men the average is ¥3,148 per person, and for women the average is ¥2,513 per person

Ranking of popular items at conveyor belt sushi restaurants

Over 80% of men and 85% of women said they "eat more dishes that I order than dishes that come around on the conveyor belt"

For the 13th straight year, the most popular dish at conveyor belt sushi restaurants is salmonThe favorite type of salmon dish is seared salmon

Salmon is the most popular item at conveyor belt sushi restaurants followed by number two lean tuna and number three hamachi yellowtail

The most common reasons for salmon's popularity include "it's fatty and delicious" and "the many variations, such as seared or with onions"

Salmon is the favorite first dish to have at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, followed by lean tuna and hamachi yellowtail

The favorite last dishes to have at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant are salmon, lean tuna, and shrimp

The dish at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant that diners like but which they try not to eat because of the price is fatty tuna, followed by sea urchin and medium-fatty tuna

The top dishes respondents say they would even pay 50% more to eat are salmon and medium-fatty tuna

Respondents said salmon was the dish with the best deal for the money, followed by lean tuna and hamachi yellowtail

Respondents said the salmon, lean tuna, and medium-fatty tuna dishes have improved the most at conveyor belt sushi restaurants

Favorite conveyor belt sushi dishes for children

The top choice of preschool children is egg, followed by natto roll Elementary school-aged children chose salmon, followed by lean tuna

Conveyor belt sushi restaurant sales campaigns

The top three sales campaigns and events that respondents said make them want to go to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant are campaigns about seasonal ingredients, local and special ingredients, and large portions. Anime collaborations was the second strongest attraction for teenagers

Prefectures where respondents would want to experience conveyor belt sushi

Other than their own prefecture, the top three prefectures where respondents want to eat conveyor belt sushi are Hokkaido, Ishikawa, Toyama

The top "must try" dishes for each prefecture are salmon roe in Hokkaido, sea bass in Ishikawa, and yellowtail in Toyama

Conveyor belt sushi restaurants and the SDGs

Would you give preference to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant that is implementing SDG initiatives?

About half of respondents said they would give greater preference to conveyor belt sushi restaurant that conducts or supports sustainable fisheries and aquaculture

75% said they "want to eat at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant that serves MSC- and ASC-certified fish"

Other offerings at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant

The average number of non-sushi side items eaten at conveyor belt sushi restaurants is 2.2

The most frequently eaten side item is steamed egg custard, followed by miso/red miso soup and french fries

Favorite side dishes for children

French fries are the favorite side dish for both preschool and elementary school aged children The next favorites are udon noodles for preschoolers and ice cream/sherbet for elementary schoolers

The conveyor belt sushi restaurant experience

The most commonly mentioned association with dining at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant was "after using first plate, keep it to use for soy sauce" and the second association was "when you're done eating, stack the plates by color." Other associations were "it takes time to make tea because the hot water dispenser button is hard to push" and "it's amazing how fast a dish arrives after ordering on the touch panel menu screen"

When do people go to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant

55% have gone to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant while on a trip

About 10% have used a conveyor belt sushi restaurant for passing time, like a coffee shop

Over 10% of respondents over age 20 have gone to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant for eating and drinking alcohol

More than 40% of respondents said they have gone alone to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, over 60% of men in their 50s have gone alone

Dating at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant

55% of respondents have gone on a date to conveyor belt sushi date, 70% of women in their

30s have done so.

If they could go on a date to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant with a celebrity, the top choice of men is Haruna Kawaguchi and for women is Sho Hirano

The top athlete for a date to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant is Shohei Ohtani

Conveyor belt sushi restaurants and anime

The number one anime with which respondents would like conveyor belt sushi restaurants to have a collaboration campaign is Demon Slayer, followed by One Piece and Spy x Family

The leading anime character that respondents would like to hear as the voice on the touch panel menu screen is Doraemon, second is Anya Forger from Spy x Family and third is Conan Edogawa from Detective Conan

* Total percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding to the first decimal place.

Survey Overview

• • Survey title: Consumer Survey on Conveyor Belt Sushi in 2024

• • Survey Target: Men and women aged 15-59 nationwide among members of the Net Asia Research internet monitoring population who dine at conveyor belt sushi restaurants at least once a month

• • Survey period: Three days from February 20 to February 22, 2024

• • Survey method: Internet survey

◆ Number of valid responses: 3,000 (1,500 male, 1,500 female)

◆ Survey agency: Net Asia Co., Ltd.

To the Press

When citing content of this newsletter, please using the attribution "Maruha Nichiro Research."

Please direct inquiries about the survey to:

Maruha Nichiro Corporation

TEL [phone]

Hours : 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Monday through Friday)

Company Profile

Representative: Masaru Ikemi, Representative Director, President and CEO

Established: March 31, 1943

(The company name was changed to Maruha Nichiro Corporation in April 2014)

Head Office: 2-20, 3-chome, Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan 135-8608

Business activities: Fisheries, aquaculture; import, export, processing, and sale of marine products; manufacturing, processing, and sale of frozen food, retort food packets, canned products, paste products, chemical products, and beverages; import of meat and feed materials; manufacturing, processing, and sale of meat.

Please visithttps://www.maruha-nichiro.co.jp/ for more information about Maruha Nichiro Corporation and our products.

Contact for media inquiries:

Corporate Branding Department,

Maruha Nichiro Corporation

[e-mail]