1. 16 Little-known Business Types of "Bandou Taro"

The Bando Taro Group operates 86 stores, including its main business, the Japanese Restaurant Bando Taro, with 59 of those stores located in Ibaraki Prefecture.

We spoke to Yasuko Kosuge, manager of the Co-education Department at Bando Taro Co., Ltd., at Bando Taro Tsuchiura Otsuno store, located in Tsuchiura, the center of the southern part of the prefecture.

For Bando Taro, the popular"Bandou Taro"In addition, there are only two rare stores like this Tsuchiura Otsuno store."Bando Taro"There is.

First of all, "Bandou Taro" is a Japanese family Restaurant familiar to Ibaraki residents. It also offers a great value lunch menu, making it a popular restaurant with a wide range of customers.

"Bando Taro" in Kanji is a spacious restaurant with private rooms, where you can enjoy a relaxing meal and caters to the needs of the senior generation.

Furthermore, the Bando Taro Group has16 business typesThere is also a shop near Tsuchiura Station, the center of the southern part of the prefecture.

・Katsutaro
・Family Restaurant Bando Taro
・Steakhouse Wagon
・8th generation Aoi Cafe

The reason for the large number of business formats is that "having other business formats allows us to cater to people who want to eat different things." First, in 1993, he opened Katsutaro, a suburban tonkatsu restaurant that was rare at the time.

After that, he took over Steakhouse Horobasha, which had no successor, and launched the 8th Generation Aoi Cafe, a cafe that made it easier for young people to take over as manager, and entered a number of other business ventures.

Now, let's try the specialty dish that is served as a common menu item at many of the Bando Taro Group's restaurants.

A specialty dish that suits the tastes of people from the Kanto region: "Bando Miso Nikomi Udon"

The first dish to be released is Bando Taro's signature dish, a menu item that can be said to be the symbol of the group,Bando miso stewed udon"is.

It arrived piping hot, simmering.

The base miso is a blend of Hatcho miso, which has been aged for three years by Kakukyu, a company founded in 1645 and once a supplier to the Imperial Household Agency, and Bando Taro's secret miso.

In addition, chicken meatballs and other dishes have a good flavor, and the tempura bits fried in the shop are mixed with the soup,This creates a delicious taste.

When you eat it, you will feel a sense of fulfillment and relief, thinking, "This is it after all."

Bando Miso Nikomi Udon, which was inspired by the Nagoya specialty Yamamotoya-style udon and adapted for the Kanto region, has a different kind of deliciousness.

The misonikomi udon is less firm and thick than the Yamamotoya-style udon, making it a little milder and easier to eat, yet still has a rich flavor. It's packed with plenty of ingredients, so you won't get bored of it.

Furthermore, with the revision of the main menu, collagen has been added to Bando Miso Niku Udon, which contributes to the excellent texture that clings to the udon.

2. Anmitsu: Enjoy seasonal fruits

Another specialty of Bandou Taro is their desserts.

Menu development involves nearly 10 members from each department, and they come up with as many as 50 candidates each season before narrowing it down to the seasonal sweets menu. Everyone splits up to research and sometimes spends the whole day walking around Tokyo trying different sweets.

Today I had the popular Anmitsu, a dish that is available all year round.

The main ingredients vary depending on the season, including melon, mango, strawberry, etc. On this day, there was a large melon on top, which was delightful as it had lots of flesh.

You can choose from vanilla, melon sorbet, mango sorbet, and soft serve ice cream. I chose the classic vanilla, but there were two of them, so it felt like a great deal.

It also contains chewy rice flour dumplings, agar, and a drizzle of brown sugar syrup. The overall taste is not too sweet, but just the right amount to satisfy both body and mind.

3. Surprisingly Amazing "Tea"

This cup and tea are Bandou Taro's trademarks.

The tea used is Sarushima tea from Noguchien Honten, a long-established tea-growing company in Bando City, Ibaraki Prefecture, which was founded in 1910 and has won both the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award and the Mainichi Agricultural Record Award. According to Kosuge, "It also contains matcha, and the taste is mellow and easy to drink."

They serve new tea to each group of customers, and their motto is "to spend money on deep-colored tea."

4. The top 3 lesser-known popular products

After enjoying the delicious treat, we asked about the top three most popular items at Bando Taro.

Coming in second place behind the overwhelmingly popular "Bando Miso Nikomi Udon" is "White Sesame Miso Nikomi Udon." Made with mildly sweet white miso, it has a similar taste to dandan noodles, with the addition of sesame and chili peppers.

Coming in third place is the "Tenzaru Sushi Set." This set comes with a good balance of tempura, sushi, and noodles, and is popular among women.

5. A full range of services born from our corporate philosophy of valuing families

The Bando Taro Group's motto is"filial piety"Our company motto is to serve our parents and other people who have looked after us as "parents" and to "deepen family ties."

For this reason, we offer a wide range of services born from our corporate philosophy of "valuing families."

Children up to the age of 9 are given a points card called a "Children's Savings Passbook." If you have this card, you can earn points during the week before and after your birthday.Free "Birthday Set"It will be.

What's more, mothers will appreciate the "To Mother" section, which includes comments like "Your child is a master at making a mess" and "Please don't worry about the mess on the table or around the seats," making it a thoughtful gesture for families with children.

They focus on annual events for young children, such as the first meal and one-sho rice cake ceremony, and each time they take a baby's footprint and give them a photo as a gift, which is said to be very popular.

Other events include the first meal, Shichigosan, and 60th birthday celebrations.In additionMemorial services can be held up to the 100th anniversary, soThis is a local Japanese restaurant chain that covers the entire life cycle.

Additionally, the road connecting Parking to the entrance has been named "Oyakogokoro Street." It is designed to narrow as it approaches the entrance, with the hope that people will be aware of the importance of "mutual consideration" when passing each other.

6. Do all the staff see off the last customer? Service with full manpower

Bandou Taro is well known for its unique service and customer service.

First, the role of leading the customer service in the store is "landlady"and"Hanako」※They will help customers with any problems they may have, and sometimes even see them off outside.
*Hanako is the next candidate for the proprietress and will take on the role when the proprietress is absent.

If you become a regular customer, they may call you by name and serve you based on the information you have written down.

There is also a system of responsible persons, and by posting names such as "Miso stew manager," "Balloon delivery manager," and "Sparkling floor manager" in front of the store, employees are encouraged to fulfill their respective roles.

At Bando Taro, if you make a reservation for a banquet for 8 or more people, you will receive a free bus transfer, so you can drink alcohol without worry.

And when the store closes, all the last customers come out to see us off.

Although not many people may be able to witness this final farewell, it is a custom that represents the spirit of Bando Taro.

"Large Restaurant are now using robots to reduce the number of staff, but Bando Taro still has many employees. We aim to be a restaurant that local Guest/customer can feel safe at," says Kosuge.

The prices are a little high, but you get the service you deserve.Be sure to enjoy this Japanese Restaurant, unique to Ibaraki, which is packed with multiple charms.

Bando Taro Tsuchiura Otsuno store

• 4001-1 Shin, Teno-cho, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture MAP
• 10 minutes by car from Tsuchiura Station
• 17 minutes by Kanto Railway bus from Tsuchiura Station, get off at the bus stop "Otsunodai", then 2 minutes on foot
• 11:00-21:00 (last order 20:30)
• 029-869-5111
• free

7. You can easily go to all the Bando Taro Group stores. Hotel "BEB5 Tsuchiura by Hoshino Resorts" directly connected to Tsuchiura Station

If you want to visit Bando Taro and other Bando Taro group stores, head to BEB5 Tsuchiura by Hoshino Resorts. If you stay a few nights, you might be able to visit them all.

This is a hotel that enjoys cycling, so you can get around by bicycle, and if you have any unfinished work to do, the lounge is available 24 hours a day as a coworking space.

I hope you can make some good memories in this city, even though you are busy.