A lot of people became accustomed to buying ready-made food at supermarkets or cooking at home instead of eating out during the coronavirus pandemic.

A lot of people became accustomed to buying ready-made food at supermarkets or cooking at home instead of eating out during the coronavirus pandemic.

That is VERY true for our family. We used to go to a restaurant and izakaya each about once or twice a week in the BC.

Now in AD we almost NEVER go out, and I drink at home. We invite friends over and when the weather is suitable we BBQ in our backyard.

 if chain restaurants cannot offer added value such as better ingredients, they could lose customers and may end up closing several branches.

Where I live we used to have 2 Shoyas. They have both since closed down. There are other shops that have closed down permanently and the area is starting to show signs of urban decay.

Such rocket science! Chain restaurants simply cannot change their menus overnight. The supply chains are tight. Times, they are a-changin'.

Well, there cannot be a more unpleasant ambiance than to go to a restaurant and have to put up with masked staff, and magic plastic shielding, both signalling that the place is a health threat, and that the Japanese remain stubbornly obsessive-compulsive vis-a-vis both "measures".

Until these go away, cooking at home is much more enjoyable.

My two yen.

Hangaku is sometimes ok, but it also gets old with the fried food.