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Hometown Hamburger Sales
Food Truck Opens after One Shop's Pandemic Closure3 January 2022 - Kyoto//Local topicsA married couple began selling hamburgers from a food truck twice a week after moving to the husband's hometown Miyama-cho, Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture. The couple has been operating food and drink establishments in Kyoto City but had to close one of their shops due to the Covid-19 pandemic. So, they took steps to create the shop they envisioned for "someday" in the local area. The shop has become popular, with fans even lining up before it opens to buy their specialties. The couple, Kenshiro and Natsumi Azuma, lives in Nozoe, Miyama-cho, Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture. They had opened three shops, including a restaurant and bars, and served dishes including sausages made in Miyama. However, the business suddenly experienced difficulties since last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kenshiro said, "It got difficult for us to employ staff because we had no idea what we'd be facing in the future."Handmade hamburger food truck sales started from the end of June near the roadside station, "Miyama Fureai Hiroba" (Agake, Miyama-cho, Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture)
After much deliberation, he closed one restaurant in June last year. Kenshiro had dreamed of opening a shop in his hometown in the future, so he decided to convert a crisis into an opportunity and started off by selling hamburgers in a mobile vending car in Miyama.
The food truck "LIMIT 30 BURGER'S" has been operating since June 2021 near the Agake intersection which is close to the "Miyama Fureai Hiroba" roadside station. It is open every Friday and Sunday and the menu offers three burgers, including their Garlic Tartar Burger for 780 yen. The most popular burger is the Cheese Burger for 730 yen, which is generously filled with a sauce made from locally harvested tomatoes.
As the shop name implies, the menu is limited to 30 burgers per day, and some days they sell out within an hour of their 11:30 a.m. opening time. Natsumi said happily, "We were expecting tourists and so on as our customers, but we get many more local people than we'd expected. Some locals have already come to buy our burgers several times."
They are planning to increase the menu items, and are considering using wild game meat and other ingredients from the local area. Kenshiro said, "We'd like to invent new menu items that both locals and tourists can enjoy." They also hope to establish a shop in Miyama someday.
(Translated by Mie Hiuzon, Psyche et l’Amour, Inc.)