Customers started pouring in to a store selling a traditional Japanese pastry known as “taiyaki” after its owner admitted to putting in less filling and had offered a sincere apology online.
Heartfelt message to customers: Junya Hashimoto, the 45-year-old owner of “Taiyaki no Bunfukuya,” took to social media to apologize to buyers after he was forced to reduce the amount of filling in his pastries, reported SoraNews24.
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- The store, situated in the Japanese city of Gyoda in Saitama Prefecture, specializes in the fish-shaped pastry mostly sought after during winter.
- Sales normally dwindle during the summer but COVID-19 restrictions have resulted in the store reportedly losing as much as 70% in revenue.
- Hashimoto first tried only raising his product’s price but then decided to add more red bean filling after feeling bad about the price increase.
- He would later discover that the increased amount of red bean paste filling was causing an even higher loss that could eventually shut his store down.
- Hashimoto resorted to reducing the amount of red bean paste filling to save his store, but the decision left him feeling guilty.
- He ended up revealing what he did via a sign posted outside his store, which he then shared on Twitter on Aug. 24.
- The post, written in Japanese, read, “Honestly speaking, I used to put a lot of ‘anko’ (red bean paste) inside, but there was no profit from it. I will reduce the amount of ‘anko’ because the store is about to go broke. Please forgive me.”
- Customers who have been to his store say Hashimoto’s “taiyaki” remains delicious, even with less filling. Other commenters pledged to visit the store to show their support.
- Hashimoto’s store soon made local headlines after his tweet went viral, resulting in more customers lining up.
