Tokyo: Restaurant sales in Japan in October rose 8.8 percent from a year before as the number of customers increased amid favorable weather, industry data showed Monday.

Japanese-style restaurants attracted demand, especially from foreign visitors to the country.

Among fast food restaurants, sales at noodle chains jumped 12.2 percent, according to data from the Japan Food Service Association. The number of customers grew on weekdays and at night at restaurants serving soba and udon noodles at reasonable prices.

Sales at Japanese-style fast food restaurants rose 13.2 percent thanks to the popularity of their autumn menus.

Among family restaurants, sales at Japanese-style outlets climbed 10.8 percent, aided by demand from foreign visitors. Chinese restaurants posted 11.7 percent growth in sales, reflecting price hikes.

Sales at pubs and “izakaya” eateries rose 12.0%. The association said that sales at such establishments are recovering steadily, although they are still short of levels in 2019 due to the impact of store closures amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

JIJI Press