Gifu Prefecture's First: Seniors Take Center Stage at "Onigiri Eatery" "Gifu Machinaka Shokudo by G-bar FOOD" Opens in Gifu City on April 3rd!
Gifu Machinaka Shokudo by G-bar FOOD, the first "onigiri cafeteria" in Gifu Prefecture where seniors are the main characters, opened on April 3, 2026. This initiative by G-bar Co., Ltd. and local partner NEXT NAWA aims to create a sustainable community hub by empowering seniors through food and fostering intergenerational connection, contributing to the realization of a society where seniors play a central role.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 3, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 3, 2026 at 10:30
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 18, 2026 at 00:53 (350h 22m after Collected)
G-bar Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Representative Director: Kenta Nagano, hereinafter G-bar) is promoting the expansion of "G-bar FOOD," where seniors actively work as food creators, to 1,889 municipalities nationwide.
To commemorate this, as the first partner store in Gifu Prefecture, "Gifu Machinaka Shokudo by G-bar FOOD" opened in Kagoshima, Gifu City on Friday, April 3, 2026.
The partner company is NEXT NAWA Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, Representative Director: Goshi Nawa, hereinafter NEXT NAWA), which has supported the local community through plumbing repairs, renovations, and energy business since its founding in Gifu City in 1948. Under the concept "Nurturing Future Lifestyles" advocated by its Class 1 Architect Office "Maruho Design," local senior members will welcome customers with heartwarming set meals, including onigiri made with love upon order and tonjiru (pork soup) using plenty of Gifu vegetables.
G-bar has a track record of 344 seniors (※) participating in the "G-bar FOOD" initiative started in Miyagi Prefecture. This activity has cultivated a "sustainable operation model that balances reproducibility and profitability," which will be spread nationwide with "regionally-minded" partner companies. From Gifu, they aim to transmit a new form of community development for an aging society and realize a society where each senior can become the protagonist. (※) As of April 3, 2026.
About "Gifu Machinaka Shokudo by G-bar FOOD," Gifu Prefecture's First Partner Store
"Gifu Machinaka Shokudo by G-bar FOOD" is Gifu's first partnership model, where the local company NEXT NAWA takes the lead, and G-bar provides support through operational know-how and human resource development. By combining NEXT NAWA's long-standing trust and network with local residents and G-bar's "system for seniors to shine," it aims to create a sustainable community hub where multiple generations can interact, going beyond just a restaurant. By contributing to the local community through "food" and improving the living environment, they will deepen their contribution to daily local life.
■ Store Overview
● Store Name: Gifu Machinaka Shokudo by G-bar FOOD
● Opening Date: Friday, April 03, 2026
● Location: 1F, COLON, 2-7-17 Kagoshima Nishi, Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, 501-0123
● Business Hours: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
● Closed: Wednesdays and Sundays
● Instagram: @gbfood_gifu
■ Menu Items (Partial)
We offer one soup and one side dish set meals that utilize carefully selected Gifu ingredients, imbued with the wisdom and love of our senior generations.
● Onigiri Set (1 piece) 660 yen (tax included)
● Onigiri Set (2 pieces) 880 yen (tax included)
● Single [Onigiri] From 250 yen (tax included)～
■ Comment from Representative of NEXT NAWA Co., Ltd.
Representative Director Goshi Nawa
"The reason I resonated with G-bar FOOD is its ability to utilize senior generations as 'senior players' to invigorate the region and create new communities. In modern society, regional connections are becoming thinner, but by creating places of mutual support, I am convinced it can be a starting point for solving issues like vacant houses and caregiver burnout. I also feel it can contribute to the inheritance of food culture and QOL improvement. From now on, I want to leave valuable regions for our children and tackle social issues by pooling our wisdom with seniors."
About "G-bar FOOD," the Food Business Where Seniors Take Center Stage
■ What is "G-bar FOOD"
"G-bar FOOD" is a business where seniors actively work as food creators, delivering heartwarming and rich food experiences to the community. Since its start in November 2022, a cumulative total of 344 seniors have participated. The restaurant "Machinaka Shokudo by G-bar FOOD," which began operation in Tomiya City, Miyagi Prefecture in October 2024, is the culmination of this operational know-how. This "Machinaka Shokudo" has been well-received by the community for its "warmth like a real home." G-bar has been accelerating the expansion of this "Machinaka Shokudo model" nationwide to 1,889 municipalities since March 2025.
【Currently Operating Locations】
● Gifu Machinaka Shokudo by G-bar FOOD (Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture) Instagram: @gbfood_gifu
● Aoyama Machinaka Shokudo by G-bar FOOD (Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture) Instagram: @gb_morioka_aoyama
● Katsunuma Machinaka Shokudo by G-bar FOOD (Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture) Instagram: @gbfood_katsunuma
● daria by G-bar FOOD (Nishi Ward, Sapporo City, Hokkaido) Instagram: @daria_gbfood
● Shinmachi Machinaka Shokudo Main Store by G-bar FOOD (Tomiya City, Miyagi Prefecture) Instagram: @gbfood_shinmachikc
● Omachi Machinaka Shokudo by G-bar FOOD (Aoba Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture) Instagram: @gbfood_omachi
● Rokuchome Shokudo by G-bar FOOD (Wakabayashi Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture) Instagram: @gbfood_rokuchome
■ Regarding Future Nationwide Expansion
Following the opening of the partner store in Gifu City, "G-bar FOOD" is accelerating its partnerships with regional companies nationwide. Currently, 70 regions have confirmed partnerships, and openings are scheduled sequentially in the following areas.
Hokkaido/Tohoku Region: Hokkaido Sapporo City (Nishi Ward, Chuo Ward) / Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture / Morioka City, Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture / Sendai City (Taihaku Ward, Wakabayashi Ward, Aoba Ward, Izumi Ward), Tomiya City, Higashimatsushima City, Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture / Minamisoma City, Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture
Kanto Region: Mizuho Town, Nishi Tama District, Tokyo / Yokohama City (Asahi Ward), Kawasaki City (Takatsu Ward, Tama Ward), Odawara City, Kamakura City, Fujisawa City, Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture / Saitama City (Urawa Ward, Midori Ward), Fujimi City, Yoshikawa City, Kumagaya City, Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture / Ichihara City, Funabashi City, Chiba City (Inage Ward), Chiba Prefecture / Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture
Chubu Region: Sado City, Niigata City (Nishikan Ward), Niigata Prefecture / Koshu City, Yamanashi Prefecture / Mishima City, Hamamatsu City (Chuo Ward, Tenryu Ward), Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture / Gifu City, Minokamo City, Kani City, Takayama City, Mino City, Hida City, Gifu Prefecture / Nagoya City (Nakagawa Ward, Atsuta Ward), Anjo City, Konan City, Handa City, Aichi Prefecture
Kinki Region: Yao City, Osaka City (Yodogawa Ward), Suita City, Osaka Prefecture / Kobe City (Nagata Ward, Nishi Ward), Harima Town, Kakogawa City, Akashi City, Amagasaki City, Kato City, Hyogo Prefecture / Wakayama City, Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture / Koriyama City, Nara Prefecture / Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture
Chugoku/Shikoku Region: Matsuyama City, Uchiko Town, Kita District, Ehime Prefecture
Kyushu Region: Fukuoka City (Chuo Ward), Fukuoka Prefecture / Kashima Town, Kamimashiki District, Kumamoto Prefecture / Miyakonojo City, Miyazaki Prefecture / Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture
Company Overview
■ G-bar Co., Ltd.
G-bar Co., Ltd. promotes businesses that create "meaningful jobs" where seniors can experience a sense of purpose and continue to be active by leveraging their wisdom and experience. Since November 2022, they launched the "G-bar FOOD" business in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, where seniors work as food creators, and have since made delicious homemade dishes with a cumulative total of 344 local seniors and delivered them to the community. They are currently seeking partner companies in 1,889 municipalities nationwide to develop "jobs" such as G-bar FOOD. In the world's largest super-aging society, which humanity has never experienced, they will continue to challenge themselves to create new models for aging societies that the world will envy.
Representative: Kenta Nagano, Representative Director
Business Activities: Business of creating exciting jobs for seniors and the community.
Headquarters Location: 95 Tomiya Shinmachi, Tomiya City, Miyagi Prefecture
■ NEXT NAWA Co., Ltd.
Founded in 1948. As "Nawa Expert Team (NEXT)," they handle 24-hour plumbing trouble response, gas supply, and vacant house measures. Furthermore, as Maruho Design, they support Gifu's living environment and energy through renovation projects and effective utilization of idle real estate.
Representative: Goshi Nawa, Representative Director
Business Activities: Plumbing repair/maintenance, home renovation, Class 1 Architect Office (Maruho Design) operation, LP gas sales/piping work, sales/maintenance of home equipment.
Location: 3-3-13 Kagoshima Nishi, Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture