The encyclopedia · Strategy & Leadership · Strategic decision · 1990–2025
Saizeriya kept a 300-yen doria by owning factories and importing directly
Its Australian plant makes the sauces and patties; Italy ships the cheese and wine — so menu prices survived inflation.
Saizeriya (サイゼリヤ)
the move
Saizeriya, a Japanese family-restaurant chain founded in 1967, built its identity on extreme value: a Milan-style doria for 300 yen and a glass of wine for 100 yen, kept flat through decades of rising food costs.
The low prices come from vertical supply. The company's own factory in Australia sources milk and beef locally and makes the white sauce, meat sauce and hamburger patties used across more than 1,600 restaurants; a Chiba plant makes tomato sauce; cheese and wine come from contracted suppliers in Italy. Producing only what the stores need avoids long-term storage and keeps both quality and cost under control.
The result is a business model built around supply rather than sales tactics: instead of raising prices or shrinking portions, the company defends cost competitiveness through ownership of production and direct imports. A November 2025 NTV report at a Tottori opening credited the same factories and imports for keeping prices low during Japan's food-cost surge.
why it works
- Owning factories removes wholesaler margins and storage waste
- Direct Italian imports cut the cost of cheese and wine
- Producing only what stores need keeps quality fresh and stable
- A defensible cost base lets prices stay flat for decades
what transfers
If the promise is a price, build the cost structure before you make it — own or source directly the inputs that decide the price.
what came after
Saizeriya expanded to more than 1,600 restaurants in Japan and abroad, with China a profit pillar. Its signature prices — the 300-yen doria and 100-yen wine — survived the post-2020 inflation wave, and analysts credit the self-contained supply model for the sustained edge.
references
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