Survival for the fittest in my local town

 Recently, a local okonomiyaki restaurant changed the menu they had out front.

Something like ‘shogayaki-teishoku’ or a ginger pork set meal, costs 20 ringgits.

I went there once when it first opened.

I paid 80 ringgits for an okonomiyaki set meal and two glasses of beer.

The taste wasn't bad, but okonomiyaki isn't high-end food to begin with. The chawanmushi that comes with the set meal is unnecessary.

Whenever I saw them, they didn't have many customers, so I thought they might close soon, but by changing the menu, they might be able to survive a little longer.

On the same street, there was also a tempura restaurant that closed after a few months.

I forgot how much it cost, but it was expensive, which meant they didn't charge that much for tempura. I never went there.

On the other hand, there is an izakaya-style restaurant that is doing surprisingly well.

It started out with seafood bowls and yakitori as its main dishes.

You can buy beer and sake from a vending machine inside the store, but not many people buy alcohol.

In other words, it doesn't function as an izakaya, but it has a decent number of customers.

A popular item is ODEN.

In the evening, groups of high school students stop by to eat it on their way home.

A little while ago, they added "kitsune udon" to the menu, for 13 ringgits.

I tried it and found it to be much better than instant noodles, so I started eating it when I didn't have much of an appetite.

Not all Japanese food is popular, and prices shouldn't be set in a way that even Japanese people would reject.

In the end, only the stores that continue to develop products to meet customer needs will survive.