Major conveyor belt sushi chain boosts budget offerings

Japan's biggest conveyer belt sushi chain is aiming to capitalize on increasingly cost-conscious diners. Sushiro plans to expand its menu of low-priced dishes as inflation sends more customers bargain hunting.

The restaurant chain will add 6 new dishes priced at 120 yen, or about 85 cents.

Some dishes will also have flexible prices that change based on wholesale costs. The chain may even add dishes below 85 cents.

Nii Kohei, president of Akindo Sushiro, said, "We believe that selling items without fixed prices can result in better sushi for customers. For example, products that have been difficult to offer because they don't fit our price menu, or those that taste better with a larger cut."

Sushiro raised the price of its cheapest dishes from 78 cents to 85 cents last October amid surging costs. The change proved unpopular, with sales and customer numbers falling afterward.