Tokyo’s Tiny Noodle Bars Shut Down Rather Than Put Up Prices

  • Restaurants, bars hit hardest by bankruptcies in pandemic
  • Dynamic pricing could help ramen joints stay in business
Ippudo’s ‘Shiromaru Motoaji’ ramen.Photographer: Noriko Hayashi/Bloomberg

Covid-19 and social-distancing measures are forcing some owners of Japan’s tiny noodle shops to consider either pushing up their prices or pulling down their shutters.

The pandemic is upending a finely balanced business model that depends on serving quick, cheap fare to customers eating elbow-to-elbow.