In Japan, customer service tends to pretty amazing across the board, but perhaps nowhere more so than in the restaurant industry. Some restaurants may be boisterously friendly and others may be quietly courteous, but you can just about always be assured that everyone on the staff, from your server to the owner, is working hard to ensure an enjoyable dining experience.
But even by those standards, this yakiniku restaurant goes above and beyond the call of duty, with an extensive list of extra special services they’re willing to provide. Of course, courteousness is a two-way street, so the restaurant also has 10 unique requests it in turn makes to its customers.
Yakiniku, or Korean barbecue, seems like it should only entail the bare minimum of customer service. After all, customers cook the strips of meat that make up the bulk of a yakiniku meal themselves on the grill installed in the center of their table, so the majority of the restaurant employees’ work is preparing the cuts of raw meat and delivering them to the table along with any drinks the customers have ordered.
Maybe that’s why this restaurant came up with its own special ways to show it cares. Japanese Twitter user @frenemytwins was so impressed he snapped a picture of the list, so let’s take a look.
https://twitter.com/frenemytwins/status/645217702475231233“Let our staff know if you have any problems,” the list begins, before giving 10 sample scenarios along with how the restaurant will respond.
● “I’m out of cigarettes.”
We’ll dash off to the convenience store to pick some up for you.
Actually, it’s not entirely unusual for smoker-friendly Japanese establishments to provide this service, although it’s more common in bars than restaurants.
● “My cell phone battery is about to die.”
We’ve got chargers! Sorry if we don’t have one that works with your model of phone!
● “There are certain foods I don’t like.”
Let us know when ordering.
Many yakiniku restaurant menus include combination platters that have a variety of cuts of meat. While odds are you’re going to be out of luck if you’re a vegetarian, this restaurant at least seems willing to work with you on the specific meaty contents of your order.
● “I’m really gonna drink a lot today!”
We’ll go get some ukon for you.
Ukon, or turmeric, is often used as an ingredient in Japanese nutritional supplement drinks that are said to help stave off or soothe hangovers, which is why you’ll often see salarymen pounding them down on their way home from a bar (or on their way to the office the next morning). The restaurant seems to realize that if it’s going to supply the source of the hangover, it’s only fair to help out with the aftermath as well.
● “I wish I knew how to cook yakiniku well.”
We’ll give you a through but easy-to-understand lecture.
● “I spilled something on my clothes.”
We’ll get you some stain remover right away!
● “Do you think you can call a taxi for me?”
We sure can!
● “It sure is cold/hot in here.”
We’ll get you a blanket or turn up the A.C.
● “Oh wow, it’s raining!”
Allow us to present you with a free (used) umbrella LOL.
● “It’s someone in our party’s birthday.”
Please let us know!
In exchange, though, there are 10 things the restaurant staff asks of its customers.
● Please don’t teasingly flirt with the male staff. They’ll think you’re serious, and they won’t be able to keep their mind on their work.
● Please don’t ask the female staff how old they are. If you do, we’ll charge you double for your meal.
● We try not to blast the air conditioner too much in the restaurant, but if one of our staff makes a really bad joke, please ask for a blanket.
Whereas we might call a really bad joke “corny” or “cheesy” in English, in Japanese the term is samui, literally “cold.”
● Pregnant customers are asked to inform the staff of their presence. We’ll help you think of a name for the baby.
● If your food or relationship with your boyfriend/girlfriend has grown cold, discretely inform the staff, and we’ll help to get things warmed up again.
Then you can take them up on that baby-naming offer, right?
● Sexually harassing the female staff is prohibited.
That one honestly seems like it should go without saying.
● Famous customers are asked to inform the staff of their presence. We apologize for not recognizing you. Someone will be by to ask for your autograph shortly.
● Please do not buy alcoholic beverages for the staff. They get out of hand when they drink.
● Please do not make attractive job offers to the staff. They’ll quit working for us.
● If the food tastes good, please tell the staff. We’ll keep doing our best.
Since the only thing better than a tasty meal is a tasty meal with side orders of friendly service and a sense of humor, @frenemytwins’ followers quickly responded to his tweet by asking just where this eatery is. He replied that it’s a restaurant in Toyama City called Taishogun, and while the region is most famous for its buri (yellowtail tuna), we think we’ll be having yakiniku the next time we’re in town.
Restaurant information
Taishogun / 大将軍
Address: Toyama-ken, Toyama-shi, Sakuramachi 2-4-21
富山県富山市桜町2-4-21
Open Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., 5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday 5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
Website (Tabelog)
Source: Twitter/@frenemytwins
Insert images: Wikipedia/Zink Dawg, RocketNews24



Busboy found cleaning tables at blinding speeds in yakiniku restaurant
Nine tales of stunningly crazy customer complaints in from the Japanese service industry
Indian curry restaurant worker in Tokyo warms our heart with amazingly sweet customer service
Survey ranks Japan’s most and least welcoming restaurants of 2014
Super-cheap yakiniku restaurant sells meat by the mouthful to give you exactly what you want
Japan tripled its departure tax to fund tourism but is using the money on cherry blossoms and bears
Police in Japan looking for who’s responsible for dumping 80 loaves of bread on side of road [Video]
Nike x One Piece collection brings Devil Fruits to sneakers and streetwear in Japan
Data suggests increased bear sightings have led to a decrease in mountain climbers across Japan
Nephew of Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki serves up Totoro Shaved Ice in Tokyo
Amid foreign sex tourist rise, Japanese government considering outlawing paying for prostitution
Pikachu and other Pokémon evolve into hydration types with Thermos drinkware collaboration [Pics]
We recommend not buying one pack of Japan’s new convenience store corn soup-flavor fried chicken
Winnie the Pooh cosplays as Yuzuru Hanyu for new plushie collaboration
Dragon Ball Z theme park, financed by Saudi Arabia, to be built in France
7-year-old boy left behind on Mt. Fuji by his own dad
Sushi Bus: Japan’s first conveyor-belt bus lets you eat sushi while sightseeing around Tokyo
Studio Ghibli unveils new interactive stationery dioramas that bring anime movies to life on your desk
Studio Ghibli composer Jo Hisaishi just set three Guinness Records
Anime fans can now wear a Seiko watch inspired by Japan’s One Piece Shinkansen
7-Eleven Japan brings back best-selling flat croissant that became a hit on social media
Foreign hiker on Mt. Fuji loses consciousness and dies, becoming climbing season’s second fatality
Universal Studios Japan partners with manga horror master Junji Ito’s Tomie
Starbucks Japan releases two new seasonal drinks that blur the line between summer and autumn
12-year-old British girl who went missing in Tokyo found safe after visiting anime sites around Yokohama
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
Tokyo’s newest viral dessert is like a Japanese parfait inside a bread bun [Taste test]
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Study finds hundreds of people in Indonesia legally named after Naruto, Inuyasha, other anime stars
Japanese vending machine sells freshly squeezed lemon juice with a futuristic light show
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Japanese people reflect on examples of irritating, excess customer services in Japan
Like a carnivorous fever dream, let the beef come to you at this revolving meat restaurant
We sent Mr. Sato off to Yakiniku Camp, the restaurant where you cook your own food
5 things about Japanese customer service that surprise foreign visitors
Tokyo restaurant ready to feed you and friends yakiniku all day long for under 10 bucks
Overambitious diners set restaurant ablaze trying to grill all-you-can-eat yakiniku
Yakiniku chain store lets customers enjoy delicious Japanese barbecue together with their dogs
New Japanese Yakiniku Jet restaurant serves meat by conveyor belt on a high speed lane
Business is booming for yakiniku restaurants, but are customers chemically dependent on meat?
What kind of restaurant attracts the politest customers in Japan? Twitter user has a theory
Japan’s first alcohol-free and tobacco-free yakiniku restaurant a hit in Osaka
Yakiniku without the niku? New Tokyo restaurant applies yakiniku concepts to sashimi-grade fish
Yakiniku rice burger: A bento boxed lunch you can eat with one hand
Solo sukiyaki! Cook-in-the-counter hot pot is newest way to treat yourself to great food in Tokyo
The best yakiniku restaurant menu items to order if you’re surrounded by lovey-dovey couples