I was wandering around Shimbashi yesterday evening and saw a a small restaurant that looked like it served good Yakitori. I slid the door aside and saw there was one or two seats left at the bar and a free table. Every other seat was filled with salarymen. When I pointed to a chair I wanted to take the waiter came over and told me “sorry this restaurant doesn’t serve first time customers”.

Can the Japan regulars let me know if this is a common policy? How does the restaurant attract new patrons as many of the salarymen looked on their last legs? Was this just a restaurant not wanting to serve foreigners?

I haven’t experienced this in 15 years living in China so it came as a bit of a shock to me.