85.3% Willing to Use Children's Cafeterias, But Families "Not Using" Them Increase for Second Consecutive Year - Kodomo Gochimeshi Survey Results Released

NPO Kids Future Passport (Representative Director: Mariko Nakamoto, Location: Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture), which operates "Kodomo Gochimeshi," a service that utilizes local restaurants as children's cafeterias, announces the results of its "Survey on Awareness of Children's Cafeterias" conducted among Kodomo Gochimeshi members.

◾️ Survey Background

The number of children's cafeterias nationwide has reached a record high of 12,6018, and they have become widely known as hubs for food support in local communities. Against this backdrop, KFP, for the second consecutive year, surveyed the awareness and usage of children's cafeterias among Kodomo Gochimeshi members. This two-year survey aims to clarify the current state of food support from both changing aspects and persistent challenges.

8Source: Survey on the Number of Children's Cafeterias Nationwide by Musubie, Certified NPO National Center for Children's Cafeteria Support.

◾️ Survey Results

Awareness of children's cafeterias was 99.7%, showing little change from last year (99.9%), with nearly everyone being aware for the second consecutive year. On the other hand, despite 85.3% of households responding that they "want to use" children's cafeterias, the actual percentage of households "not using" them increased from last year to 76.6% for general households and 65.2% for those needing support. Among households that want to use them, only 26.5% of general households and 43.0% of those needing support (28.3% overall) are actually able to use them, revealing that 71.7% are unable to utilize them. Reasons for not using them included "distance" and "uncertainty about whether they are allowed to use it," and it was also revealed that the top desired time slot is dinner (after 5 PM), indicating that a mismatch in operating hours is a factor hindering usage.

◾️ Challenges Revealed in This Survey

The two-year survey has shown that the situation of "wanting to use but unable to" has not yet been resolved. Reasons for not being able to use them include physical challenges such as "distance" and "incompatible operating hours," as well as voices like "I don't know if parents can go too," highlighting that while the name "children's cafeteria" is widely known, information about "what kind of place it is" and "who can use it" has not sufficiently reached people.

Children's cafeterias are important as places for community connection and interaction. On the other hand, to deliver food support to more children, it is necessary to expand support options like "Kodomo Gochimeshi" that complement existing systems by addressing issues of time, location, and privacy for families that cannot be reached by current mechanisms.

Survey Results Summary

⚫︎ Awareness of Children's Cafeterias

Awareness of children's cafeterias was 99.7%, with no significant change from last year (99.9%), and nearly all users have been aware for two consecutive years.

⚫︎ Intention to Use Children's Cafeterias

85.3% of households responded that they want to use children's cafeterias. Only 3.9% responded "strongly disagree," indicating a very high level of intention to use. However, the number of households actually unable to use them has increased from last year, and the gap between intention and reality continues.

⚫︎ Reasons for Intention to Use (Partial Excerpt)

Regardless of the level of intention to use, the primary motivations are practical benefits such as food expenses and nutrition, and opportunities for children's interaction. On the other hand, among general households, uncertainty about eligibility criteria such as "hesitation to judge whether they are the type of household that should use it" was observed, while among households needing support, "the eyes of others" and lack of access to information were seen as barriers to usage.

⚫︎ Experience Using Children's Cafeterias

75.3% of households (76.6% general, 65.2% needing support) "do not use" them, a 7.6% increase from last year. Even narrowing down to households that responded "want to use," only 26.5% of general households and 43.0% of those needing support (28.3% overall) are currently using them, revealing that 75.3% are unable to use them for physical or psychological reasons.

⚫︎ Desired Time Slot for Using Children's Cafeterias

The most requested time slot for use on both weekdays and holidays is dinner (after 5 PM), with particularly high demand on weekdays at 61.3% for general households and 69.6% for those needing support. Even on holidays, dinner demand for households needing support is 63.4%, significantly higher than the 46.0% for general households, indicating higher demand for dinner hours among households needing support. Many children's cafeterias are often centered around lunchtime, highlighting a mismatch between needs and operating hours.

⚫︎ Channels for Learning About Children's Cafeterias

The top channel for awareness was television (27.8% for general households, 20.7% for households needing support). For households needing support, information from government/municipalities (18.9%) and local events/bulletin boards (18.0%) exceeded that of general households, revealing that families requiring support are more likely to obtain information through local and administrative channels.

Survey Overview

Survey Period: June 2, 2026 (Tue) - June 7, 2026 (Sun)

Survey Method: Web Questionnaire

Target Audience: Registered members of Kodomo Gochimeshi

Valid Responses: 958

◾️ What is Kodomo Gochimeshi?

"Kodomo Gochimeshi" is a system that delivers meals to children in need by enabling local restaurants to function as "children's cafeterias." Since its launch, it has aimed for a sustainable form of support by promoting the "DX of children's cafeterias" utilizing IT and digital tickets.

It resolves challenges faced by traditional volunteer-based children's cafeterias, such as "labor shortages," "irregular operation," and "funding difficulties," while building a win-win-win model that benefits local restaurants, children, and supporters alike.

KFP is committed to creating opportunities for children to gain rich experiences, not just food support. It aims to realize a society where all children can equally enjoy both meals and experiences.

Support us here:

◾️ NPO Kids Future Passport Overview

Location: Office 4, 6th Floor, Fukuoka Chiyo Gōdō Chōsha, 1-20-31 Chiyo, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture

Establishment Date: June 2, 2023

Representative Director: Mariko Nakamoto

Business Activities: Community Children's Support Project "Kodomo Gochimeshi"

Homepage: https://kids-future-passport.org/

This is an NPO established for children's support activities. It operates "Kodomo Gochimeshi" aiming for a sustainable system that watches over the healthy growth of all children. Donations and support funds from corporations and individuals are used as a foundation to provide meals to children at registered local restaurants.

"Kodomo Gochimeshi" utilizes the GOCHI platform owned by Gigi Corporation.