Tomoyo MatsudaThe number of people infected with the novel coronavirus is increasing rapidly around the world. Various measures have been taken in each country to prevent further spread of the coronavirus, including school closures, restrictions on going out and immigration controls. On the other hand, the risk of bankruptcy of small enterprises such as restaurants is a growing concern, because people aren’t going out in order to curb the spread of the virus..
How Saki-meshi can help restaurants
In response to the situation, a new online service, “Saki-meshi,” meaning a meal in the future, has emerged in Japan to support restaurants facing a reduction of customers. With this service, you can pay restaurants you want to support, and visit them to eat after the end of the coronavirus outbreak. The service was set up by Gigi Inc., headquartered in Fukuoka.
To support a restaurant, you first visit the Saki-meshi website. You can then select the restaurant and menu you want to support, pay by credit card, and save the URL displayed. Within six months, you can visit the restaurant and show the store staff a screen displayed with the saved URL, and eat your pre-paid meal. It is a unique idea that can help restaurants that are in trouble with a decline in customer numbers, while also benefiting customers. All operations are also available on a specially made app.
Gigi Inc. has also set up a service called “Gochi-meshi” to express feelings of gratitude to someone by paying for meals. Saki-meshi utilizes the function of “Gochi-meshi”.
It reads:
“I don’t have to visit that restaurant now because I can visit it anytime later.
I don’t need to worry because that restaurant was always thriving.”
Is that true?
In order to tell the restaurant you want to go again that “it was delicious”,
A support you can give now is…
“Sakimeshi”.
To tell the restaurant “I’m going to visit to eat again, let’s overcome this difficulty together,”
Why not say it by prepaying with Saki-meshi?
Gigi Inc. provides this service in cooperation with Saikai Mizuki Credit Union. The credit union is also promoting flexible and prompt emergency financing for businesses affected by the new coronavirus. Gigi Co., Ltd., explained that it would support the local companies facing difficulty together with the credit union and fans of the restaurants.
Even if you can’t visit a restaurant now, you can support it by telling the staff you’ll visit to eat at another time with Saki-meshi. Now that the coronavirus epidemic is causing a great deal of social anxiety, heartfelt services like Saki-meshi are very much needed to reduce not only financial problems but also the mental stress felt by many.
[Website] Saki-meshi
