What Gyu-Kaku Says Happened
The apology went out on Gyu-Kaku's official social media accounts under the name of Reins International, the company that runs the chain, according to a report from Japanese entertainment news site Oricon. The statement says that at a Gyu-Kaku location, store employees opened several of the campaign's Original Clear Cards, resealed them, and handed them to customers as if untouched. Some of the cards were also taken out of the store for personal use.
The company apologized to fans, to the rights holders, and to everyone else involved for the trouble and discomfort the incident caused. It did not name the store or say how many cards were affected.
The clear cards are the collab's random bonus item. Per the campaign's press release, they come in eight newly drawn designs and are bundled with two menu items: a stone-bowl cheese bibimbap themed on Kento Nanami and a jelly drink modeled on Satoru Gojo's Hollow Purple technique. Because the design is random and sealed, an employee who opens a pack can check which card is inside, keep the ones they want, and pass the rest along. The resealing detail points to that scenario, though the statement itself does not spell out a motive.
Chain-Wide Investigation and Disciplinary Action
Gyu-Kaku says it will now check every store for similar cases and review its procedures for storing and handing over campaign bonus items. If the same kind of misconduct turns up at other locations, the company says it will respond appropriately. The employees involved have already been disciplined under internal company rules, though the statement does not say what the punishment was.
Demand for the collab has been heavy. It kicked off on August 26, 2026 and runs through September 30, 2026. On August 28, Gyu-Kaku announced that demand and orders had exceeded its projections, and purchase limits went into effect the following day, August 29. Random bonus items tied to a hit anime tend to sell fast on the resale market, and that is the backdrop to the resealing incident.
Second Restaurant Collab Scandal This Month
Oricon notes that this is the second time in September that a Japanese restaurant chain has had an anime-collab campaign compromised by its own staff. Earlier this month, conveyor-belt sushi chain Kura Sushi discovered employee misconduct during its collab with the Chiikawa character franchise. That case escalated until Kura Sushi canceled the collab at every store.
Gyu-Kaku has not gone that far. As of the Oricon report, the Jujutsu Kaisen campaign is still running, with the all-store investigation happening alongside it.
Looking Ahead
The Gyu-Kaku x Jujutsu Kaisen 5th anniversary campaign is scheduled to end on September 30, 2026, and Gyu-Kaku has not announced any change to that date. If the chain-wide investigation turns up more cases, or the campaign's status changes, that news will come through a further statement from Gyu-Kaku. The collab is a Japan-only in-store promotion at Gyu-Kaku locations; there is no international version of the campaign or the clear cards.
The Jujutsu Kaisen anime itself streams on Crunchyroll and Netflix in international markets, and the original manga by Gege Akutami is published in English by Viz Media.