Following eight consecutive years of growth, Japan’s hotel, restaurant and institutional (HRI) foodservice industry achieved record sales of JP¥33,318 billion (US$305.7 billion) in 2019. However, since February 2020, food service sales at restaurants and hotels have dropped significantly as schools and offices have closed, tourism has halted, and public outings have been reduced because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the national state of emergency, HRI sales hit unprecedented lows, down 40 percent year-over-year in April; though, sales have since recovered somewhat, down 15 percent yearover-year in July. HRI industry stakeholders are pursuing new business models and expanding takeout and delivery services.