[Introduction of a 1% consumption tax on food products] More than 40% of restaurants expect a negative impact on in-store dining traffic and sales, while more than half are concerned about the burden on systems and operations

The survey was conducted from 25 to 27 September 2026 among restaurant owners and operators who are members of the Restaurant.com service, and received 257 responses. In terms of respondent attributes, 68.9% operated a single establishment, approximately 66% lived in Tokyo or the Greater Tokyo area, and 50.6% operated establishments offering takeout or delivery.

Regarding tax-inclusive dine-in prices, 83.7% said they would make no particular changes. For takeout and delivery pricing, 77.7% said they did not plan to make any particular changes, indicating that most establishments were expected to maintain current prices even after the tax rate reduction. At the same time, a certain number of establishments were considering price increases or decreases.

Regarding the expected impact of the introduction of a 1% consumption tax on food products on dine-in customer traffic and sales, 44.7% said there would be a negative impact. Among establishments offering takeout, the proportion expecting an impact was higher, with 50.8% anticipating a negative impact. Reasons cited included a shift to prepared-food purchases and dining out, as well as the perception that prices would be relatively high because of the tax-rate differential.

Regarding system and operational burdens, many respondents cited the need to restore the tax rate in 2 years and make changes to accounting and price displays, with slightly more than 54% expecting some form of burden. The presence or absence of cost burdens varied by establishment, with more than 34% expecting a burden and 45% expecting none.

As for future investment plans, 61.5% reserved judgment, saying that they did not know at this point. Many respondents took a cautious stance, including postponing, scaling back or freezing investments, while a certain number cited proactive investment, including strengthening takeout operations.