
Becomes first major restaurant chain in Japan to provide cooked food to “children’s cafeteria” facilities.
To the great joy of fried chicken fans, KFC recently opened an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant in Tokyo. But as we ourselves discovered, even when given the opportunity to try, it’s not possible to actually eat all the KFC in Japan, so now the chain has a heartwarming plan for its leftovers.
Starting this month, KFC will be donating food to Japan’s kodomo shokudo, a term which translates to “kids’ cafeterias.” However, kodomo shokudo aren’t ordinary school lunch rooms or themed playground-style restaurants. Instead, they’re charitable facilities where kids from poor families can go after school or on weekends to get a much-needed meal.
Kodomo shokudo have been getting increased attention in Japan over the past few years. Often independently run by local volunteers, some provide meals for free, while others charge just enough to cover their operating costs (and certain kodomo shokudo that do charge for meals even offer discounts for things as simple as kids coloring a picture). KFC branches will be freezing unsold original recipe chicken at the end of their business days and donating it to food banks, which will in turn distribute it to kodomo shokudo. The initiative is said to be the first by a major restaurant operator in Japan to provide cooked food to kodomo shokudo.
The first kodomo shokudo to receive the donated chicken will be facilities in Yokohama, Japan’s second-most populous city, but the company is considering expanding the program to other parts of the country in the future.
Source: Tele Asa News via Livedoor News via Hachima Kiko
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