Japanese conveyor belt restaurants face a wave of ‘sushi terrorism’, AI is summoned to save the situation

Last month, sushi fans in Japan were horrified when several videos surfaced on the internet showing people performing vile acts at a conveyor belt restaurant. Specifically, they spat and smeared the dishes, then left them for other diners behind.

From observation, it seems that these situations are made intentionally, from people who are trying to get attention on social networks. And this dangerous action was quickly dubbed “sushi terrorism”, because it directly affects the business of conveyor belt restaurants, as well as other traditional restaurants.

Immediately, many restaurants tried to reassure customers that they were doing all they could to make sure their food was safe to eat.

A chain of stores called Kura Sushi said it is planning to deploy cameras that use artificial intelligence (AI) to observe and scan diners for suspicious behavior.

Basically, Kura Sushi’s sushi plates on a conveyor belt with lids. When diners pick up the food on the plate, the lid will flip up and then down again. In late 2021, Kura Sushi will start using AI cameras to track lid opening and closing with the aim of counting customers’ plate usage.

Now, the restaurant says it will update the camera system so it can also detect suspicious behavior, such as when the lid is repeatedly opened and closed. “Management at headquarters will contact the chain if it determines that there is a potential for undesirable behavior and staff at the store will speak to customers or report the incident to the police.” , chain store representative said.

Since last week, the largest sushi chain in the industry, Akindo Sushiro, has started offering take-out only to ensure that dishes are on the conveyor belt in the shortest time possible. Because it was at Sushiro, a customer filmed a video of this person dribbling on sushi as it passed by the conveyor belt.

Another chain, Kappa Sushi, is ramping up security camera checks and asking its employees to watch out for customers tampering with menu items.

Japan’s first sushi restaurant implemented a conveyor system in Osaka in 1958. However, this design only really became famous when it appeared at an exhibition in 1970.

Many restaurants today in Japan still put sushi on the conveyor belt without a lid. But given recent events, this rule seems certain to change. Because apparently some people have begun to fear that the above acts of “sushi terrorism” may put the existence of the conveyor belt at risk.

Reference digitaltrends