US zoning laws ban tiny restaurants that enable Japan's $4 lunch bowls by requiring large footprints, parking spaces, and multiple employees

US zoning laws ban tiny restaurants that enable Japan's $4 lunch bowls by requiring large footprints, parking spaces, and multiple employees—making daily affordable meals illegal

America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan—but our zoning laws make them illegal

In Japan, workers rely on healthy lunch bowls for under $4. Japanese media literally tracks these prices because they're a daily staple for working people. The Japanese media reported on a surge in their price from $2.63 to $4.25 in 2021.In America, we track grocery prices. Restaurants are luxury goods.The U.S. lacks this budget restaurant tier! There's obviously demand for it. We'd buy $4 balanced meals if we had the option.How does Japan’s restaurant market do this?It’s not grocery prices; Jap...