Special Seminar for Restaurant Owners & Chef-Owners: "Trend Curry 2026 — One-on-One Briefings: Winning Strategies in an Era of Rising Costs" on June 15 — This Year’s Curry Trend: "2nd-Generation Keema Curry"

Curry Research Institute Inc., a Tokyo-based organization specialized in curry-related information (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo / CEO: Takehisa Inoue), will hold a special one-time seminar for restaurant owners and chef-owners titled "Trend Curry 2026 One-on-One Briefings — Winning Strategies in an Era of Rising Costs: 2026 Store Strategy" on June 15. The event will be held online. This year’s trend, which we are confident will emerge, is the "2nd-generation keema curry," and we will provide detailed, individualized briefings to each participating company.

<Overview of the one-on-one consultation sessions>

Event name: Curry Trend 2026 One-on-One Consultation

Period: June 15 (Monday) 10:00–17:00 / 1 hour per company

Contents: - What defines the 2026 curry trend? - Background and reasons behind the popularity of the "2nd-generation keema curry" - The taxonomy and varieties of the "2nd-generation keema curry" - Notable products in the "2nd-generation keema" category - Representative stores showcasing the "2nd-generation keema"

Instructor: Takehisa Inoue, President of Curry Daigaku

Target audience: Business stakeholders related to curry

Fee: JPY 100,000 (tax excluded)

Application: Curry Daigaku info@currydaigaku.jp — Attention: Kobayashi

*The secretariat will contact applicants with further details. *Please note that if the planned number of participants is exceeded, you may not be able to participate. *Online briefings are planned to be conducted via Zoom.

□■Explanation of the 2026 curry trend■□■

Attention restaurant owners and chef-owners: Here lies the path to winning in an era of rising ingredient costs. In 2026, replace your store’s signature with the "2nd-generation keema" introduction strategy.

One of the biggest challenges in restaurant management today is the relentless rise in prices of whole cuts of beef and pork and imported ingredients. Raising menu prices risks deterring customers; keeping prices the same erodes profit. The key to breaking this dilemma is the major 2026 trend, the "2nd-generation keema curry."

This is not merely an introduction of a fashionable menu item. It is a management strategy designed to dramatically improve a store’s profit structure by achieving "low food cost, high price, and low operation."

Why does your store need the "2nd-generation keema" now?

1. Overwhelming "food cost stability" and improved "profit margin"

Unlike whole cuts, the starring ingredients are relatively price-stable ground meat and onions. As shown by our data, you can keep food cost around JPY 300 per serving while, through toppings and plating techniques (full performance), setting prices in the JPY 1,200–1,800 range.

The essence of 2nd-generation keema is not "making it cheap," but "making inexpensive ingredients appear high-value through technique and ideas."

2. Operational flexibility from "not simmering"

Unlike European or spice curries that require hours or days of simmering, keema can be completed in a short time in a single frying pan. This not only reduces gas and electricity costs (improves energy per performance) but significantly increases kitchen throughput. Even amid labor shortages, you can improve service speed without sacrificing quality.

3. "Free-style" nature that expresses the store’s personality

There are no strict rules for 2nd-generation keema.

Visual impact: full-plate melted cheese (white keema) or jet-black appearance from roasted spices.

Flavor diversification: seafood dashi, miso, fruit, nuts. Combining your store’s signature ingredients with ground meat creates a unique flagship menu item.

Its high shareability on social media also makes it a powerful hook to attract new customers.

What we will reveal in the special seminar for stores — the secrets of introduction

This seminar goes beyond mere trend commentary and reveals practical know-how you can implement in your own menu starting tomorrow.

Pricing up logic: plating and storytelling that makes customers feel "JPY 1,500 is a bargain."

Zero-loss procurement techniques: using leftover ingredients as keema’s hidden flavors or fillings, turning waste into profit.

2026 hit forecast: concrete taste composition plans for the next "Neo-Keema."

[Venue-exclusive disclosure] Menu compositions and behind-the-scenes kitchen operations of stores that have recorded explosive sales.

To owners and chefs

You cannot weather the current inflationary phase by simply extending "traditional curry."

2nd-generation keema liberates cooks’ creativity while simultaneously rescuing a restaurant’s financials as an "offensive tool."

Adopt the 2026 trend early, and while other stores struggle with price hikes, create reasons for customers to choose your store.

Before the market becomes fully saturated, acquire the "recipe for success" at the seminar.

One-on-one consultation details for restaurants and curry shops

Target: R&D staff at food manufacturers, restaurant owners, managers, etc.

Speaker: Curry Research Institute, CEO Takehisa Inoue

Application: Curry Daigaku info@currydaigaku.jp — Attention: Kobayashi

Special benefit: Distribution of the participant-only "2026 Curry Trend Utilization Manual"

"Curry Research Institute" aims to promote and develop curry — loved nationwide in Japan — by researching curry across culture and health perspectives, and by advocating for its spread as a healthy food for the population. http://www.currysoken.jp/

Curry Daigaku offers systematic, practical learning about curry and aims for curry education that is useful in business and at home. Texts supervised by industry leader Takehisa Inoue make it Japan’s premier curry course. https://currydaigaku.jp/