History
Pepper Lunch was created in 1994 by chef and inventor Kunio Ichinose, who wanted to serve quality fast food without hiring a chef. He devised a method using hot metal plates that are heated to by an electromagnetic cooker. The raw meat with vegetables and/or rice are then placed on the plates, where they cook in front of the customer. The meat can be eaten rare or well done, depending on the customer's preference. The meal is then mixed with a choice of either the special honey brown sauce (''Amakuchi'') or garlic soy sauce (''Karakuchi''). In September 2009, all branches in Japan temporarily closed after 38 customers, aged 2 to 81, suffered from food poisoning. The cause was ''E. coli'' O157 poisoning, which spread throughout 19 stores among 14 prefectures in Japan. A supplier of diced beefsteak was ordered to recall the ''E. coli''-affected product.References
{{Food chains in Japan 1994 establishments in Japan Companies listed on the Nasdaq Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Fast-food chains of Japan Food and drink companies based in Tokyo Japanese brands Multinational companies headquartered in Japan Restaurants established in 1994 Retail companies based in Tokyo Suntory