Yoshinoya Holdings Co. has introduced a limited-time addition to its menu: the ostrich rice bowl. This unique dish features slices of ostrich thigh and fillet meat cooked in a roast beef style, highlighting the succulent and flavorful red meat. Priced at ¥1,683, the ostrich rice bowl is available for just one week.
Starting on Wednesday, Yoshinoya plans to serve approximately 60,000 portions of this special dish across its 400 outlets. Each outlet will offer around 20 servings per day.
In an effort to diversify its food offerings, Yoshinoya began breeding ostriches in 2017 and researching ways to effectively utilize these animals at a subsidiary farm in Ishioka, Ibaraki Prefecture. The farm currently houses about 500 ostriches. The company sees ostrich meat as a potential fourth option alongside beef, pork, and chicken.
Ostriches are known for their high feed efficiency compared to cattle; they require about 30%-40% less feed. Additionally, their meat is recognized for being high in protein while low in fat and calories.
Despite these advantages, making a profit solely from selling ostrich meat remains challenging for Yoshinoya. As an alternative approach, the company plans to sell skincare products made from ostrich fat oil such as creams and face masks.
This limited-time addition to Yoshinoya’s menu showcases their commitment to innovation and exploring new culinary possibilities while also considering alternative uses for resources like ostrich fat oil.