Results of the Maruha Nichiro Consumer Survey on
Conveyor Belt Sushi 2024"
Maruha Nichiro Corporation (2-20, 3-chome, Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO:
Masaru Ikemi) conducted its 14th annual Consumer Survey on Conveyor Belt Sushi in 2024.
Over a three-day period from February 20 to 22, we collected valid responses from some 3,000
men and women aged 15 to 59 nationwide who use conveyor belt sushi restaurants at least
once a month. (Online survey operated by Net Asia Co., Ltd.)
* The surveys have been conducted nationwide since 2019. Previous surveys from 2012 to 2018
targeted the Kanto region (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Tochigi, Ibaraki, and Gunma
prefectures) and Kansai (Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Wakayama, and Shiga prefectures).
Reasons for Choosing a Conveyor Belt Sushi Restaurant
Top 3 factors in choosing a conveyor belt sushi restaurant: Low price, Close to home, Fresh
ingredients
About 60% of respondents make reservations by phone or online app
80% usually sit at tables rather than at counters; 90% of teenage women usually sit at tables
Amount eaten at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant
How many plates of sushi do you eat at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant? Men average 11.8
plates, women average 8.1 plates
By area, Shikoku is the highest with an average of 11.3 plates
How much do you pay at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant? Men average ¥2,018 per person,
women average ¥1,590 per person.
By area, Hokkaido is the highest with an average of ¥1,984 per person
What amount of payment makes you feel that you’ve eaten too much at a conveyor belt sushi
restaurant? For men the average is ¥3,148 per person, and for women the average is ¥2,513
per person
Ranking of popular items at conveyor belt sushi restaurants
Over 80% of men and 85% of women said they “eat more dishes that I order than dishes that
come around on the conveyor belt”
For the 13th straight year, the most popular dish at conveyor belt sushi restaurants is salmon
Mar 29, 2024
The favorite type of salmon dish is seared salmon
Salmon is the most popular item at conveyor belt sushi restaurants followed by number two
lean tuna and number three hamachi yellowtail
The most common reasons for salmon’s popularity include “it’s fatty and delicious” and “the
many variations, such as seared or with onions”
Salmon is the favorite first dish to have at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, followed by lean
tuna and hamachi yellowtail
The favorite last dishes to have at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant are salmon, lean tuna, and
shrimp
The dish at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant that diners like but which they try not to eat because
of the price is fatty tuna, followed by sea urchin and medium-fatty tuna
The top dishes respondents say they would even pay 50% more to eat are salmon and medium-
fatty tuna
Respondents said salmon was the dish with the best deal for the money, followed by lean tuna
and hamachi yellowtail
Respondents said the salmon, lean tuna, and medium-fatty tuna dishes have improved the most
at conveyor belt sushi restaurants
Favorite conveyor belt sushi dishes for children
The top choice of preschool children is egg, followed by natto roll
Elementary school-aged children chose salmon, followed by lean tuna
Conveyor belt sushi restaurant sales campaigns
The top three sales campaigns and events that respondents said make them want to go to a
conveyor belt sushi restaurant are campaigns about seasonal ingredients, local and special
ingredients, and large portions. Anime collaborations was the second strongest attraction for
teenagers
Prefectures where respondents would want to experience conveyor belt sushi
Other than their own prefecture, the top three prefectures where respondents want to eat
conveyor belt sushi are Hokkaido, Ishikawa, Toyama
The top “must try” dishes for each prefecture are salmon roe in Hokkaido, sea bass in Ishikawa,
and yellowtail in Toyama
Conveyor belt sushi restaurants and the SDGs
Would you give preference to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant that is implementing SDG
initiatives?
About half of respondents said they would give greater preference to conveyor belt sushi
restaurant that conducts or supports sustainable fisheries and aquaculture
75% said they “want to eat at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant that serves MSC- and ASC-
certified fish”
Other offerings at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant
The average number of non-sushi side items eaten at conveyor belt sushi restaurants is 2.2
The most frequently eaten side item is steamed egg custard, followed by miso/red miso soup
and french fries
Favorite side dishes for children
French fries are the favorite side dish for both preschool and elementary school aged children
The next favorites are udon noodles for preschoolers and ice cream/sherbet for elementary
schoolers
The conveyor belt sushi restaurant experience
The most commonly mentioned association with dining at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant was
“after using first plate, keep it to use for soy sauce” and the second association was “when
you’re done eating, stack the plates by color.” Other associations were “it takes time to make
tea because the hot water dispenser button is hard to push” and “it’s amazing how fast a dish
arrives after ordering on the touch panel menu screen”
When do people go to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant
55% have gone to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant while on a trip
About 10% have used a conveyor belt sushi restaurant for passing time, like a coffee shop
Over 10% of respondents over age 20 have gone to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant for eating
and drinking alcohol
More than 40% of respondents said they have gone alone to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant,
over 60% of men in their 50s have gone alone
Dating at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant
55% of respondents have gone on a date to conveyor belt sushi date, 70% of women in their
30s have done so.
If they could go on a date to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant with a celebrity, the top choice of
men is Haruna Kawaguchi and for women is Sho Hirano
The top athlete for a date to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant is Shohei Ohtani
Conveyor belt sushi restaurants and anime
The number one anime with which respondents would like conveyor belt sushi restaurants to
have a collaboration campaign is Demon Slayer, followed by One Piece and Spy x Family
The leading anime character that respondents would like to hear as the voice on the touch panel
menu screen is Doraemon, second is Anya Forger from Spy x Family and third is Conan Edogawa
from Detective Conan
* Total percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding to the first decimal place.
Survey Overview
• Survey title: Consumer Survey on Conveyor Belt Sushi in 2024
• Survey Target: Men and women aged 15-59 nationwide among members of the Net Asia
Research internet monitoring population who dine at conveyor belt sushi restaurants at least
once a month
• Survey period: Three days from February 20 to February 22, 2024
• Survey method: Internet survey
◆ Number of valid responses: 3,000 (1,500 male, 1,500 female)
◆ Survey agency: Net Asia Co., Ltd.
To the Press
When citing content of this newsletter, please using the attribution “Maruha Nichiro Research.”
Please direct inquiries about the survey to:
Maruha Nichiro Corporation
TEL (+81)-3-6833-0826
koho@maruha-nichiro.co.jp
Hours : 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Monday through Friday)
Company Profile
Representative: Masaru Ikemi, Representative Director, President and CEO
Established: March 31, 1943
(The company name was changed to Maruha Nichiro Corporation in April 2014)
Head Office: 2-20, 3-chome, Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan 135-8608
Business activities: Fisheries, aquaculture; import, export, processing, and sale of marine
products; manufacturing, processing, and sale of frozen food, retort food packets, canned
products, paste products, chemical products, and beverages; import of meat and feed materials;
manufacturing, processing, and sale of meat.
Please visit https://www.maruha-nichiro.co.jp/ for more information about Maruha Nichiro
Corporation and our products.
Contact for media inquiries:
Corporate Branding Department,
Maruha Nichiro Corporation
koho@maruha-nichiro.co.jp
