"The Concept of 'Feast' Has Been Updated: Seven Reasons Why Gen Z No Longer Chooses Steak"

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Who Decides the Definition of "Gourmet"?

2. Showa Era's Festive Food Culture and the Golden Age of Steak

3. Seven Changes Surrounding Generation Z
   3-1 Cost-Performance and Time-Performance Supremacy
   3-2 Health, Wellness, and Lipid Aversion
   3-3 Sustainability Awareness and Environmental Impact
   3-4 Inflation, Yen Depreciation, and Price Sensitivity
   3-5 The Rise of Alternative Menus
   3-6 Food Choices Prioritizing Social Media Appeal
   3-7 Experiential Consumption and "Oshi-katsu"

4. Reading "Steak Aversion" Through Data

5. Case Studies of the Dining Industry's Response

6. Comparing Japan's Beef Trends with the World

7. Inbound Perspective: Is Wagyu an Exception?

8. Future Keywords and Business Proposals

9. Conclusion—The Future Map of "Gourmet"
   
   

---

1. Introduction: Who Decides the Definition of "Gourmet"?

As reported by pinzuba.news, Generation Z is rapidly abandoning the traditional value that "steak = gourmet."pinzuba.news. Once, dining out with family meant a thick beefsteak, but this norm has significantly shifted in the Reiwa era.

2. Showa Era's Festive Food Culture and the Golden Age of Steak

During the period of rapid economic growth, beef was considered a luxury, making steak a symbol of "festive days." The sizzling iron plate and the aroma of garlic butter also served as devices to create a sense of "specialness." However, from the 1980s onwards, the rise of conveyor belt sushi and yakiniku chains diversified the options for "gourmet." By the 2000s, when Generation Z was born, affordable family restaurants and food courts became commonplace, and the rarity of steak relatively declined.

3. Seven Changes Surrounding Generation Z

3-1 Cost-Performance and Time-Performance Supremacy

Smartphone-native Generation Z values "zero waiting time," "ease of eating," and whether the value can be conveyed in a single photo. The act of cutting thick meat with a knife is shunned as "inefficient."pinzuba.news.

3-2 Health, Wellness, and Lipid Aversion

Comments like "greasy and heavy on the stomach" are common. There is a shift towards replacing with fish or chicken, which are high in unsaturated fatty acids, and salad chicken.

3-3 Awareness of Sustainability and Environmental Impact

The Gen Z, who are highly concerned about climate change, have already learned through social media that livestock accounts for 14% of greenhouse gas emissions. In a multinational survey by Dentsu, over 60% of the younger generation responded that they could accept limiting beef consumptiondentsu-ho.com.

3-4 Inflation, Yen Depreciation, and Price Sensitivity

With the price increase of imported beef from 2024 onwards, the average price of steak in restaurants is expected to rise by 20%. According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, beef consumption has decreased for three consecutive years, dropping to 870,000 tonsmaff.go.jp.

3-5 Rise of Alternative Menus

Korean fried chicken, plant-based burgers, and all-you-can-eat sushi have become choices with "high satisfaction even at the same price," prompting restaurant chains to quickly revamp their menus.

3-6 Food Choices Prioritizing Social Media Appeal

Colorful sweets and glowing cheese dak-galbi are more "Instagrammable" than monotonous steak cross-sections. Visual-centric platforms influence value judgments.

3-7 Experiential Consumption and "Oshi-katsu"

Meals are integrated with experiences such as collaboration cafes with "oshi" (favorite characters or idols) or pre-concert meals. Steak specialty stores find it difficult to plan collaborations, making it hard to secure reasons for young people to visit.

4. Understanding "Steak Aversion" Through Data

In the 2024 survey by IMADA KITCHEN×CCCMK Holdings, while the emphasis on "price" among Gen Z significantly increased, the number of those who would "pay if there's value" also rose in parallelprtimes.jp. In other words, the key is not simply whether something is cheap or expensive, but the "sense of satisfaction." Steak is both expensive and has low social media experiential value, making it less likely to be chosen.

5. Examples of Responses from the Food Service Industry

• Ikinari!Steak—Introduction of S size under 200g & substitution with low-carb rice

• Gyukaku—50% fat reduction with "Lean Meat × Low-Temperature Cooking" menu

• Flying Tiger Sushi Bar—Capturing "fan activity demand" with an attached live streaming booth
  
  
  
  
  

6. Japanese Beef Trends Compared to the World

While the shift away from lean meat is progressing in the West, Japan's Gen Z is more influenced by time efficiency and visual appeal factors. They particularly dislike the "effort of cutting meat," giving an advantage to sushi and fried chicken that can be picked up in bite-sized pieces with chopsticks.

7. Inbound Perspective: Is Wagyu an Exception?

Visitors to Japan still perceive Wagyu as a "luxury experience" and show strong support for it. Conversely, there is room to convert the value gap with the domestic youth into performance value.

8. Future Keywords and Business Proposals

9. Conclusion—“Gourmet” Future Map

On the tables of Gen Z, the era has begun where "price × health × experience × visual appeal × sustainability" defines "gourmet." The key to the steak's resurgence isimproving time efficiencyandstorytelling. Without eliminating the effort of cutting a whole piece, visualizing environmental impact, and inducing SNS sharing through performance, they are unlikely to return.

---

Reference Article List

• Pinzuba NEWS "The Concept of 'Feast' is Changing: The Surprising Reason Why Generation Z is Moving Away from Steak" (June 13, 2025)pinzuba.newspinzuba.newspinzuba.news

• Dentsu Report "How Have Climate Change and Inflation Altered Purchasing Behavior?" (October 2023)dentsu-ho.com

• Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries "The Situation Surrounding Livestock and Dairy Farming" (November 2024)maff.go.jp

• SHIBUYA109 lab./CCCMK Holdings "Survey on Generation Z's Awareness of Food" (August 19, 2024)prtimes.jp