When “I wish we could serve this” becomes a real menu item
Toridoll Holdings Corporation (Shibuya, Tokyo; President & CEO Takaya Awata), which operates under the slogan “Fill this planet with the joy of food,” has announced that its group company Toridoll Japan (TDJ) (President Satoshi Kashiwabara) will roll out menu items devised by its own store employees as the “Toridoll Japan Autumn Product Proposal.” The items go on sale sequentially as limited-time offerings from Tuesday, September 15, 2026 across five brands.
Each item began as a thought that staff had while working the floor: “It would be great if we could serve a dish like this,” or “That regular customer would probably love this.” Employees turned those ideas into recipes, submitted formal proposals, and the winning entries were officially adopted after an internal review. Rather than stopping at an in-house idea contest, the concepts actually reach the counter as real products, which is the defining feature of this initiative.
Sale Details
- Program name: Toridoll Japan Autumn Product Proposal
- On sale from: Tuesday, September 15, 2026 (rolled out sequentially)
- Format: Limited-time offering
- Participating brands: Yakitori-ya Toridoll, Tempura Teishoku Makino, Nagata Honjoken, Butaya Ton-ichi, and Yakitate Koppe Seipan (five brands in total)
- Number of items: 12 items across the five brands
- Note: Availability is limited to selected stores depending on the brand. Please check each brand’s announcement for details.
The “Mental Capital Management” behind the project
Mental Capital Management, the philosophy promoted by the Toridoll Group, treats both “happiness in the hearts of employees” and “emotional impact in the hearts of customers” as vital forms of capital, and pursues sustainable business growth by continuously satisfying both. As a deepened evolution of human capital management, it values inner qualities such as a sense of security, connection, contribution and pride, raising each individual’s intrinsic motivation so that it translates into memorable experiences for guests.
The “Happiness Prosperity Cycle”
The group aims to realize what it calls the “Happiness Prosperity Cycle,” in which employee happiness creates customer delight, customer delight drives store prosperity, and the results flow back to employees once again. This staff-proposed menu program is positioned as one initiative that starts from the individual feelings and initiative of employees and ends in memorable dining experiences.
Seven measures during the campaign
Employee happiness
- Proposers meet face to face with President Kashiwabara at a product review session, conveying their intentions directly before receiving approval for commercialization.
- Marketing training is provided so proposers can write promotional copy in their own words, including workshops paired with each brand’s division head.
- The employee-devised items are served specially at “31 Cafe,” the staff cafeteria at Toridoll Holdings headquarters, and encouraging messages and feedback from head office employees are delivered back to the proposers and stores.
Customer delight
- In-store POP displays introduce the proposer’s thinking, sharing the background and story behind each item.
- Each store carries out hospitality and promotional activities that communicate the appeal and recommended points of the items.
Store prosperity
- Creating encounters with new products so guests can rediscover the appeal of each brand.
- Delivering the distinctly Toridoll dining experience through conversation with staff and a lively store atmosphere.
The company also expects that praise from customers and strong sales results will help employees rediscover meaning and joy in their work, feeding back once again into happiness.
Comment from President Kashiwabara
President Satoshi Kashiwabara of TDJ commented: “What I wanted to value most in this project was giving shape to the feelings of our employees. Store staff face customers every day and hold all kinds of insights and ideas, and those voices are filled with a pure wish to make customers happier.” He recalled being deeply moved at the product review sessions not only by the items themselves but by the passion and affection for customers behind them.
He added, “I would be delighted if the proposers and their colleagues feel pride and fulfillment, and if customers enjoy not only the taste but also the story behind each product,” reaffirming the company’s commitment to creating moving food experiences through the practice of Mental Capital Management.
Summary
The Toridoll Group, known for Marugame Seimen and a wide range of other formats in Japan and overseas, is drawing attention with this Autumn Product Proposal as a mechanism for bringing frontline voices into management. When visiting one of the five brands after September 15, take a moment to read the proposer’s message on the POP display while enjoying one of the 12 limited-time creations.