Japanese Yakiniku chain Gyukaku gets flak for ‘sexist’ women-only discount
Gyukaku, a popular yakiniku chain in Japan, was recently criticised for running a ‘women-only’ discount campaign.
The yakiniku chain, operated by restaurant group Reins International Inc, was accused of discriminating against men.
The campaign was meant to commemorate Reins International’s participation in Tokyo Girls Collection — a semi-annual fashion show held in Japan.
Source: 焼肉 牛角
The promotion runs from Mondays to Thursdays, from 2 Sept to 12 Sept.
To be eligible for the 50% all-you-can-eat courses, customers must make a reservation and be a member of the restaurant’s app.
Discount for women, but also pushes for couples date night and families eating out
In their press release, Gyukaku mentions that the rising costs have made people more hesitant to eat out. As a result, they claim that the campaign would be especially helpful for couples or families dining out.
The press release even includes a diagram to show the cost savings for different scenarios.
Source: 焼肉 牛角
Gyukaku said its data revealed that women order about four dishes fewer than their male counterparts. However, the restaurant hopes that both men and women can enjoy the great value of the all-you-can-eat yakiniku feast.
Netizens slam restaurant for discrimination
The campaign has been met with criticism online. X posts mentioning the campaign have received many comments saying it discriminates against men.
One commenter said gender-based pricing should be prohibited by law.
Source: @PRTIMES_GOURMET on X
Another commenter said the press release implied that men were supposed to pay for dates and that such an assumption was in itself a form of discrimination.
On the other hand, some comments also hit back at the critics.
One netizen pointed out that the critics should’ve simply treated this as a good opportunity to save on their date nights. The comment even added that this is the reason why men have no ‘luck’ when it comes to romance.
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Featured image adapted from 焼肉 牛角.
