. >> reporter: a restaurant chain famous for in that case sanoodl 30 outlets. he oversees the domestic restaurant. he's trying to regain customers. a year ago he made a decision. he raised the price of his company's signature noodles by just 40 yen or around 50 cents to 590 yen. the price hike was unavoidable. prices of locally grown vegetables have been rising. he feared it wouldn't have much impact on sales. but he was wrong. his higher prices did turn away customers. month aftemont his sales figures were under those of a year ago. >> translator: if you want to know the truth, it was a failure. people were much more price sensitive than we thought. >> reporter: to try and salvage it, he added to the menu new low priced items. one was towards new dishes, noodles served with a dipping soup. he added another item for busy lunch hours. a six-course meal for 500 yen coin. >> translator: lunch around here costs between 600 and 1,000 yen, so the 500-yen meal is a good value. >> translator: it's much cheaper, and it tastes good. >> reporter: despite his new lower mar