Restaurants in Japan are passing on higher rice costs to consumers by raising prices or shrinking portions.
Rice prices remain high amid a nationwide shortage of the grain. A poor rice harvest in 2023 due to summer heatwaves tightened supplies this year.
Many people also stocked up on the staple to be better prepared in case of storms and earthquakes.
Major restaurant operator Skylark Holdings hiked the prices of rice dishes at five of its chains last Thursday. Customers must now pay 30 to 55 yen more for the dishes, or about 20 to 40 cents.
The company cites elevated costs of procuring newly harvested rice as the main reason for the increase.
Skylark says it has tried to minimize expenses by buying rice directly from growers, but says it decided to raise prices so it can continue to reliably offer its rice dishes.
Meanwhile, restaurant and takeout food-chain operator Origin Toshu reduced the size of 18 types of its rice ball items from Tuesday.
The change applies to more than a quarter of its 473 outlets in the metropolitan areas surrounding Tokyo and Osaka.
Japan’s agriculture ministry says rice prices will stabilize once this year’s crop becomes more widely available.