Yoshinoya facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids
Yoshinoya Holdings Co., Ltd.

Headquarters at Daiwa Rivergate
Type	Public
Traded as	TYO: 9861
Industry	Foodservice
Founded	Tokyo, Japan (1899; 126 years ago (1899))
Founder	Eikichi Matsuda (松田栄吉)
Headquarters	Kita, Tokyo, Japan
Number of locations	1,211 (June 2023)
Areas served	East Asia Southeast Asia United States
Key people	Shuji Abe, President and CEO
Products	Fast food

Yoshinoya (𠮷野家) is a super popular Japanese fast food chain! It's famous for its delicious gyūdon, which is a tasty beef bowl. This company started way back in 1899 in Japan. Their main idea is simple: serve food that's "Tasty, low-priced, and quick"! Yoshinoya is one of the biggest beef bowl restaurant chains in the world.

What Does the Name and Logo Mean?
A Look Back at Yoshinoya's History
Where Can You Find Yoshinoya?
Images for kids
See Also

What Does the Name and Logo Mean?

The name Yoshinoya has a special meaning. The first part, "Yoshi" (吉), means "luck" in Japanese. "No" (野) means "field," and "Ya" (家) means "house." So, it's like "Lucky Field House"!

The person who started Yoshinoya, Eikichi Matsuda, came from a town called Yoshino in Osaka Prefecture. Many people believe the company's name comes from his hometown.

In Japan, people often call the restaurant "yoshigyū" (吉牛). This is a short way to say "Yoshinoya's gyūdon" (beef bowl).

Yoshinoya's logo looks like a bull's horn. The founder, Eikichi Matsuda, designed it. The "Y" shape comes from the first letter of Yoshinoya in English. The rope around the horn is like the rope worn by a "Yokozuna," which is a champion sumo wrestler. This shows that Yoshinoya serves top-quality food. The rope is made of 27 rice grains. All together, the logo means that Yoshinoya sells the "best beef bowls."

A Look Back at Yoshinoya's History

Yoshinoya first opened its doors in 1899 at a busy fish market in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. After a big earthquake in 1923 damaged the market, Yoshinoya moved to the new Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo in 1926.

In 1952, the chain opened its first store that stayed open 24 hours a day. This was a big step!

By 1965, Yoshinoya was doing really well, earning a million dollars in sales. This success made them think about opening more restaurants across Japan.

The first Yoshinoya store that was run by someone else (a "franchise") opened in Shinsaibashi in 1968.

In 1975, Yoshinoya opened its very first restaurant in America, in Colorado. In the early 2000s, Yoshinoya and other fast-food places in Japan started a "price war." They offered a regular beef bowl for only 280 yen, which is about 3 US dollars!

Where Can You Find Yoshinoya?

Yoshinoya has restaurants in many countries around the world. You can find them in Japan, the United States, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Yoshinoya in Japan

In Japan, Yoshinoya restaurants often have counter seating. You order your food right at the counter. They give you chopsticks to eat with.

The menu includes different sizes of beef bowls:

Namimori (standard serving)
Ōmori (large serving)
Tokumori (extra-large serving)

They also serve pork bowls (butadon), raw eggs (to mix with your beef bowl), soft-boiled eggs, miso soup, and pickles. You can also get red ginger, spices, and Japanese green tea for free! Some items, like raw eggs and miso soup, can be taken to go.

Customers can also ask for special things for free, like:

Tsuyudaku: extra gravy sauce
Negidaku: extra onions
Tsuyunuki: no gravy sauce
Neginuki: no onions
Kimidake: egg yolk only
Karui no: less rice

Sometimes, Yoshinoya in Japan offers special seasonal dishes, like eel bowls (unadon).

Yoshinoya in the United States

Yoshinoya came to the United States in 1973, opening its first restaurant in Denver in 1975. Today, you'll mostly find Yoshinoya stores in California. Some stores in other states like Nevada, Arizona, and Texas have opened and closed over the years. Yoshinoya also tried opening stores in New York City in 2002, but they closed by 2012.

In March 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, you couldn't eat inside the restaurants for a while. But you could still get food for take-away, through the drive-thru, or for pick-up.

The menu in the U.S. is similar to Japan's. It includes beef bowls, chicken bowls, and combo bowls. They also have options like "beef with vegetables bowls" and "teriyaki chicken bowls."

Yoshinoya in Taiwan

Yoshinoya started in Taiwan in 1987. The first restaurant outside Japan opened in Taipei in 1988.

Yoshinoya in China

The first Yoshinoya in China opened in Beijing in 1992. Then, in 2002, they opened more stores in big cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen. By 2021, there were 390 Yoshinoya restaurants in China!

Yoshinoya in Hong Kong

Yoshinoya came to Hong Kong in 1991. Today, there are about 50 Yoshinoya restaurants across Hong Kong Island, the New Territories, and Kowloon.

Unlike in Japan, Yoshinoya stores in Hong Kong don't offer table service. You order your food at the cashier and pick it up on a tray, just like at many Western fast-food places.

Yoshinoya in the Philippines

Yoshinoya first opened in the Philippines in 1992, but that partnership ended. In 2001, Yoshinoya came back to the Philippines with a new partner. Their first store opened in Pasay that year.

In 2021, Yoshinoya teamed up with Jollibee Foods Corporation, a very famous fast-food company in the Philippines. They plan to open 50 new Yoshinoya stores in the country! As of 2023, there are seven Yoshinoya stores in the Philippines.

Yoshinoya in Indonesia

Yoshinoya first opened in Indonesia in 1993, but those stores closed in 1998. In 2009, Yoshinoya returned to Indonesia with a new agreement. Their first new store opened in Central Jakarta in 2010. As of 2023, there are 146 Yoshinoya stores in Indonesia, spread across many cities.

Yoshinoya in Singapore

Yoshinoya arrived in Singapore in 1997, opening two stores that year. By 2023, there are 11 Yoshinoya stores in Singapore.

Yoshinoya in Cambodia

In 2013, the first Yoshinoya restaurant in Cambodia opened in Siem Reap. As of September 2022, there are about two Yoshinoya stores in Cambodia, both located in airports.

Images for kids

Old logo before the 2012 rebranding, still in use outside the US
Yoshinoya logo in the US
A Yoshinoya meal
Yoshinoya in Nagoya
Yoshinoya in California
Yoshinoya restaurant in Futian District, Shenzhen
Yoshinoya restaurant at Sun Hung Kai Centre Shopping Arcade, Hong Kong
Yoshinoya restaurant at SM City Grand Central, Caloocan
Yoshinoya restaurant at Grand Indonesia
Yoshinoya in Singapore
Yoshinoya restaurant at Nagahori, Osaka, in 2005
Yoshinoya restaurant in Teradachō, Osaka, on September 18, 2006
Inside Yoshinoya in Kumamoto city
Yoshinoya self-ordering kiosks at Kyoto Plaza, Hong Kong
Yoshinoya food truck
The flagship restaurant in Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo
Greetings to customers at the flagship restaurant
Free banner given to customers in "the beef bowl revival festival" on September 18, 2006