Japanese Restaurant Apologizes After Rat Is Found in Soup

A customer dining at a Sukiya location in January reported a foreign object in their miso soup to a staff member

A Japanese restaurant has issued an apology after a customer found a rat in a bowl of miso soup. 

The chain restaurant Sukiya, which has about 2,000 outlets in Japan, recently published a statement about the January incident on its website.

A customer dining at a Tottori location in January reported a foreign object, confirmed to be a rat, in their miso soup to a staff member, according to the translated statement. The object was found before the soup was consumed.

The rat is believed to have been in a bowl that the ingredients for the soup were prepared in. The store states that an employee “neglected to visually check the condition of the product before serving it, and the product was served without noticing the foreign object.”

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Sukiya states that other customers were not at risk for contamination and the store location was temporarily closed for hygiene inspections following the incident. In response, the store repaired cracks in the building and trained employees on hygiene management. 

“The health center in charge was also consulted on the day of the incident,” the statement reads. “The store in question resumed business two days after the incident after a health center official inspected the site.”

Other measures taken by the store include revising how they store their garbage, particularly when it comes to food scraps. Other locations will also be routinely checked for cracks to avoid vermin and other pests potentially entering the building.

Moving forward, locations throughout the country have been advised to “visually check the condition of products before serving in order to prevent contamination.”

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Furthermore, Sukiya acknowledged that their hesitancy to address the incident earlier left their customers “feeling anxious and concerned.”

“We would like to once again apologize to our customers and all concerned parties for the inconvenience and concern caused,” the restaurant wrote. 

Bloomberg reported on March 24 that Zensho Holdings Co., which operates Sukiya, has seen shares drop as much as 7.1% since Feb. 13, when the company came forward about the incident. 

The chain restaurant offers a variety of popular Japanese meals, including gyudon, which is a dish made of thinly sliced beef and onions in a sweet soy sauce served over a bowl of rice. The chain is known for its customizable meals, offering toppings such as cheese and kimchi.