Yoshinoya’s stinky meat foam incident continues to ferment: Whether the store involved is a directly-operated store is still unknown and has been closed for rectification

Our reporter Xu Jie

Trainee reporter Wang Jun

Following the exposure of Hefu Lao Noodles, Yang Guofu Mala Tang, and Wallace due to food safety issues, on November 29, a video blogger broke the news that during a recent unannounced visit to Yoshinoya, they found serious food safety problems. At present, Yoshinoya has not announced the latest handling measures of the store involved, only saying that the store involved has been closed for rectification, but did not say whether it is a directly operated store.

The store involved is not operated by Hexing Group

The breaking news video showed that the Yoshinoya’s back kitchen used expired cabbage, spinach, and chicken ingredients that exceeded the taste period. The smelly meat foam was also used, which is worrying about the hygiene of the back kitchen.

The video also shows that many foods at Yoshinoya need to be fried. However, unannounced interviewers found that Yoshinoya ignored the relevant provisions of the national food safety standards and did not have a process for detecting oil, and only provided a general “oil change once a week”. Usually, the staff only filter out the residue in the oil, and the remaining oil continues to be used, and the filtered oil has been severely blackened. If the oil is not enough, add new oil to continue using. It can be clearly seen in the video that the oil has been severely blackened.

In response to the above-mentioned exposure video on the issue of “using stinky meat foam”, on the evening of November 29th, Yoshinoya’s official Weibo posted a fact sheet stating that Yoshinoya belongs to different operating companies in the Chinese market, including Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei. Yoshinoya in the three provinces of, Henan, Inner Mongolia, and Northeast China is operated by Hexing Catering Group (hereinafter referred to as “Hexing Group”). The Yoshinoya restaurant in this video is not within its scope of operation. “However, food safety is always the top priority for Hexing Group’s operation and development. We have arranged for the main leaders to take the lead in the establishment of a self-inspection working group. The products provided to customers are products that give you peace of mind.”

Regarding the response of Hexing Group, netizens said they were confused, why is Yoshinoya not Yoshinoya? Some netizens commented that “Yoshinoya: Yoshinoya has nothing to do with me”, “The classics are not in the scope of our company’s operations”, “It is not my child who caused trouble, but my child who won the prize”.

According to public information, in the Chinese market, the “Yoshinoya” brand is operated by the franchisees Hexing Group Holdings Co., Ltd. and the headquarters of Yoshinoya in Japan, respectively, headquartered in Hong Kong, China. Hexing Group mainly operates Yoshinoya stores in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Northeast China, Inner Mongolia and Hong Kong, China. The stores in other regions are managed by the branches of Yoshinoya headquartered in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Taiwan. At the same time, Hexing Group is also one of the franchisees of Ice Queen (DQ).

According to the official website of Yoshinoya China, Yoshinoya already has 2,168 branches around the world. Currently, Yoshinoya’s chain brands are distributed in 13 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, and nearly 545 stores.

According to the 2021 Interim Report of Hexing Group, as of June 30, 2021, the group has 396 Yoshinoya stores operating in the northern Chinese market.

Some netizens also said that although they are not operating stores under its umbrella, it is Yoshinoya’s brand that is smashed. Has the Yoshinoya store operated by Hexing Group been affected? Do you take corresponding self-examination and self-correction work? What is the specific content?

A reporter from “Securities Daily” interviewed Hexing Catering on the above issues, but did not receive a reply as of press time.

Food safety issues have previously been discovered

The Tianyan Check App shows that Yoshinoya (China) Investment Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Yoshinoya China”) was established in June 2015 with a registered capital of 48 million US dollars. The legal representative is Kenichi Aohe. The business scope includes catering management; it invests Enterprises provide services in the process of product production, sales and market development. Shareholder information shows that the company is wholly-owned by Yoshinoya Group Co., Ltd.

“Securities Daily” reporter interviewed Yoshinoya China on the specific current handling of the store involved, the operator, whether it is directly operated, etc. The other party said that this matter will be handled by a special person and will reply later.

However, there are media reports that Yoshinoya China will be responsible for the “indifference” of the Hexing Group. Yoshinoya China stated that no matter how the Hexing Group responds, Yoshinoya China, as the brand owner, will be responsible for the relevant responsibilities to the end, and will continue to pay attention to the follow-up treatment of the involved stores by the market supervision department. “The Yoshinoya brand has about 600 stores in China, of which more than 100 are directly managed by Yoshinoya China. Whether it is franchising or franchising, Yoshinoya has the same standards and requirements in store management.”

A reporter from the Securities Daily found that on the evening of November 30, Yoshinoya China issued a statement of apology, stating that the store involved in Yoshinoya (Anhui) Catering Co., Ltd. has been closed for rectification, and an emergency quality management team has been established to conduct investigations. Quality inspection of each store. “Yoshinoya has received the guidance of the interview from the competent market supervision department, and will actively cooperate with all investigation procedures in the follow-up.”

But it did not say whether the store is a directly managed store. At the same time, the reporter did not receive a reply from Yoshinoya China before press time.

Food safety issues have always been the focus of consumers’ attention. The food safety problem exposed by Yoshinoya this time is not the first time.

According to the risk information of Tianyan Check App, many subsidiaries and branches of Yoshinoya have been subject to administrative penalties. Among them, Shenzhen Yoshinoya Fast Food Co., Ltd. was fined 5,500 yuan for food violations; Beijing Yoshinoya Fast Food Co., Ltd. Guangwai Store was punished twice for violating food safety laws; Shenzhen Yoshinoya Fast Food Co., Ltd. Zhongxin Branch was warned for food violations . In addition, Shanghai Yoshinoya Fast Food Co., Ltd. was fined 11,200 yuan for publishing false advertisements.

Xu Xiongjun, the founder of Jiude Positioning Consulting Company, told the “Securities Daily” reporter that regardless of franchising or franchising, restaurants should pay attention to the specific situation of the brand itself, work hard on quality, and practice internal strength.