Join Yoshinoya's 4th Gyudon Eating Contest and win a trip to Japan & cash prizes

Yoshinoya, Japan’s famous beef bowl, has been synonymous with gyudon, that special dish served in a bowl with rice, beef and onion stirred in an enticingly mild sweet sauce with fish, seaweed stock and sweet rice wine.

There are now more than 1,200 outlets of Yoshinoya globally, particularly in countries such as the USA, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia and of course the Philippines. It will soon open in Thailand and Vietnam as part of its aggressive expansion program in Asia.

First introduced in Tokyo, Japan in 1899, Yoshinoya’s signature beef bowl has rapidly become popular among quick service restaurants in 1,300 locations here and abroad.

The Philippines was no exception to this gyudon domination. Its stellar rise in the country was attributed to the arrival of Yoshinoya in our shores, primarily due to Yoshinoya Century Pacific, Inc., which started its first store operations in the country back in December 2001.

In 2011, the Century Pacific Group inked a partnership with Ihahat Foods Corporation that saw them expand their business under its President, Timothy James Yang.

What gyu-don't know about "Gyudon": A Background
While many are already familiar with this simple yet tantalizingly attractive dish because of the influx of so many Japanese-inspired restaurants in the metro, did you know that this appetizing dining fare, literally known as beef bowl, with “gyu,” which means “beef,” and “don” being the short version of “donburi” or food served on top of rice in a bowl, originated way back around 1800?

Gyudon is a mouth-watering dish, mainly a heaping mound of steaming white rice topped with beef and onion stirred in mild sweet sauce with fish, seaweed stock and sweet rice wine then served in a bowl. It is believed that this famous Japanese dish was inspired by other regular Japanese dishes such sukiyaki-don and gyunabe or thin slices of beef cooked with veggies and then served in a bowl.

Its earliest version became popular in 1862 but the year 1899 is where gyudon enjoyed its first taste of success when Eikichi Matsuda, the founder of the renowned Yoshinoya restaurant, opened its first Yoshinoya store at the fish market in Nihonbashi district in Tokyo. After it was hit by a devastating earthquake, Yoshinoya moved to the new Tsukiji fish market in 1926.

But the debut of food carts in the early 1900s made gyudon a buzzword meal in the streets of Japan—and from then on there was no stopping this dish from conquering the global gastronomic landscape.

Yoshinoya Gyudon Challenge 2014

Yoshinoya Philippines holds its 4th year of Gyudon Eating Contest and a FREE TRIP TO JAPAN and a lot of cash prizes are being given away!

The 2014 Yoshinoya Gyudon Challenge is an eating competition that will challenge Yoshinoya foodies on how much gyudon they can consume within 5 minutes. This is not an easy challenge. Many will dare but only one will conquer the gyudon table in the end.

Yoshinoya will hold the qualifying rounds in all Yoshinoya stores from Monday to Friday from April 21 to May 30, 2014. The schedule is as follows:

    April 21-25, 28-30

    May 1-2, 5-9, 12-16, 19-23, 26-30

Contest Mechanics

Pay P199.00, submit a filled-up registration forms and sign a health and release waiver, aside from a valid ID. Take-out, deliveries, bulk orders are not included.

The Finals Match will be held on June 14, 2014 (my birthday) at 1PM at the Activity Center in Glorietta, Makati City. The forty-two (42) finalists will be competing by eating the most number of bowls in 15 minutes. Finalists should release a Health Release and Liability Waiver prior to the Final Match. Each Finalist is given ten (10) regular beef bowls, and is assigned with a marshal. |

Finalists should not be holding or touching the spoon & fork, or chopsticks before the timer starts. NO VOMITING is allowed for the duration of the contest and 15 minutes after the contest proper. In case of vomiting, contestant is automatically disqualified.

The timer will start upon the go-signal of the host. After 15 minutes is up, the finalist should raise both their hands and step back from the table. Marshals will weigh remaining contents in bowls.

The Top 3 winning Finalists with the most number of bowls and least weight of bowl contents will win the following prizes:

    1st Place: Php 150,000 CASH and Trip to Japan Tickets c/o Cebu Pacific
    2nd Place: Php 50,000
    3rd Place: Php 25,000

Will you be the next one to be declared the next “Yoshinoya Gyudon Challenge” champion? Head over to your nearest and favorite Yoshinoya branch and inquire about this contest so you, your family and friends can join.

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