Bucking the drastic rise in the price of flour plaguing "udon" noodle shops across the country, one restaurant chain will go ahead with its annual sales campaign offering ¥500 tickets good for a free bowl of noodles every day for a month.
Hanamaru Inc., operator of the eponymous major udon restaurant chain, will run the discount campaign this month despite a 30 percent hike in the price of government-controlled imported flour in the same month, said Setsuya Asano of the firm's business planning section.
At ¥105, the cheapest item on the menu at Hanamaru is a small bowl of udon in soy-flavored soup. By showing the ticket, dubbed a "commuter pass," customers can eat a bowl free of charge at the counter.