Free Rice at Japanese Ramen Shops: Can You Leave It? What Japanese Commenters Say

What Japanese people said — picked from the top 100 of 5,263 comments

• Free service makes customers take advantage, so it's better for both sides to set a proper price. Since they sell it at close to cost, leftovers probably make them even angrier.

  無料でサービスすると客が調子にのるから、ちゃんと相応の値段付けて出したほうがお互いにいい。原価ギリギリで安く出してるから残されると余計に腹立つんでしょ。

  — @GPJ8079834 likes

• It'd be better to charge for the rice, and make it free only if you finish it.

  ライス有料、完食で無料にしたらいいのに

  — @しゅんまる-w7l66 likes

• Honestly, free rice should go. And if leftovers bother you, it's better to charge for it.

  そもそも無料はやめた方がいいし、残されるの嫌なら有料にした方がいい。

  — @Dandaboom72 likes

• People who think it's free, so whatever, come out even. Meanwhile, the people who always finished their free rice without leaving anything end up looking like fools. A textbook case.

  無料だからどうなってもいいやって奴が±0で、今まで無料で残さず食べてた人が馬鹿を見る典型例

  — @rukirukingo48 likes

• I wish people would separate the food-waste question from the shop's profit and the staff's sense of fairness.

  フードロスと店の損得と店員の納得感を分けて議論してほしいな

  — @777kkjamzo29 likes

• I went to a local family-style ramen shop with self-serve rice, and the rice was yellow, like "How many days old is this rice?" It was the worst.

  ライスがセルフ食べ放題の地元の家系ラーメン屋行ったけど､黄色くて何日前のご飯だよって感じで最悪だった。

  — @獅堂ひかる-z5l39 likes

• Free is nice, but eating under that kind of pressure is a hassle, so if that's the deal, they might as well stop making it free.

  無料はありがたいが、そんなプレッシャー受けながら食べるのめんどくさいから、そう言うなら無料やめるしかない

  — @長瀬うさこ27 likes

• Some free-rice ramen shops really do serve rice that smells and tastes awful. If you're going to leave it, properly say something first, like "The rice smells and I can't eat it, so I'm leaving it."

  無料ライスのラーメン屋、たまに本当に臭くてマズいライスのとこあるからなー ちゃんと一言言った「ライス臭くて食べれないので残します」って

  — @Ricky-co33 likes

Is it rude to leave free rice at a Japanese ramen shop?

Many Japanese still call it wasteful. The top comment (1,982 likes) explains that when rice costs nothing, some people treat it as something they can throw away. One reply (48 likes) adds that the people who always finish their free rice end up looking like fools.

Should ramen shops charge for rice?

Many people say yes. One (834 likes) argues that free service encourages customers to take advantage, and since shops sell rice near cost, leftovers anger them more. Another common answer is a middle option: charge for it, and make it free if you finish it.

What should you do if the rice is bad?

Say so before you leave. One (33 likes) suggests speaking up properly, with a line like "The rice smells and I can't eat it, so I'm leaving it." Another (39 likes) recalls rice that was yellow and looked days old, and calls it the worst.

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