Japan sushi chef using bodybuilder delivery to buoy COVID-19 hit business

[September 05, 2020]    TOKYO (Reuters) - A sushi restaurant in central Japan is trying to boost sluggish demand during the coronavirus pandemic by sending shirtless bodybuilders to deliver food to its customers.

A sushi restaurant in central Japan is trying to boost sluggish demand during the coronavirus pandemic by sending shirtless bodybuilders to deliver food to its customers.

The service dubbed "Delivery Macho", was established by 41-year-old Imazushi chef Masanori Sugiura who is also a competition bodybuilder.

Sugiura has recruited his friends who worked at fitness gyms to work as sushi delivery staff, as they were out of work during the pandemic.

The only condition is that customers need to order a minimum of 7000 yen ($66) to get a taste of the delivery macho.

The promotion has been a sensation on Twitter, and Sugiura receives up to 10 orders a day with monthly earnings from the service of about 1.5 million yen.

(Reporting by Rocky Swift and Akiko Okamoto; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)

[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.