Japanese food chain Saizeriya is opening in Australia. Picture: Supplied
With popular online marketplace Temu offering cheap alternatives to absolutely everything it was only a matter of time before ‘real life’ versions began popping up across Australia to harness the huge interest in reducing household costs.
Australia has already seen a version of ‘real life’ Temu opening in Melbourne and Brisbane through popular Asian discount chain Pandamart, but what about food?
Well, it would seem Australia is about to get a hyper-cheap ‘Temu’ restaurant as well when a popular Japanese brand opens its first eatery in the country.
Japanese restaurant chain Saizeriya is coming to Melbourne in November and Aussie fans are hoping so to do the $3.30 pizzas, $4 pastas and $1 wines that have made it a mainstay in Japan.
It offers extremely cheap meal options to diners. Picture: Supplied
Saizeriya produces Japanese-Italian-style dishes across more than 900 sites in Japan. The chain achieves its cheap price point because meals are pre-cooked akin to the meals someone might be served in a plane.
Aussie shoppers at Highpoint Shopping Centre in Melbourne were alerted to the opening when Saizeriya banners spruiking the November open date were erected.
“A super popular cheap Italian eats in Japan, are we ready for $1 a glass of red wine,” one Aussie commented on social media.
Saizeriya’s Aussie opening makes sense because many menu items served in its 900 restaurants are already prepared in Victoria using Australian ingredients before being shipped to Japan.
The popular chain has more than 900 restaurants in Japan. Picture: Supplied
The November opening will simply serve as a restaurant opening that expands a commercial footprint in Australia that Saizeriya has maintained since 2001.
While many Aussies were excited to hear of Saizeriya’s Melbourne opening, many were concerned the cheap meals in Japan wouldn’t transfer to similar pricing in the local market.
“Excited for this. Hope they retain the affordable prices,” one person said on social media.
“The best thing about Saizeriya is the price and I bet it’s not going to be the same in Melbourne. It will be three to five times what it is in Japan,” said another.
“Most people in Japan only like Saizeriya because it’s cheap. If it’s going to be expensive, then what’s the point,” another commented.