Capriccioza

Capricciosa is an Italian restaurant chain from Japan that operates three restaurants in Malaysia. Also, there are some Capricciosa in Tohoku area. Are the menus they serve in Japan halal or haram? We asked Mr. Kazuhiko Suzuki from marketing department at WDI Japan, a company that manages Capriccioza.
Q:How is Capriccioza addressing the needs of Muslim community?
Mr. Suzuki: Malaysia has a population of about 30 million and 70 percent of them are Muslims. Malaysia is also a travel destination for wealthy tourists from Middle Easters countries.
Looking at restaurants in Malaysia, we came to realize that while there are halal restaurants that serve Malaysian and Arabic foods, there isn’t any halal Italian restaurant, and we though there will be a demand for it. We hired a halal specialist on site and applied to JAKIM, a government entity in Malaysia.

Q: Are all three restaurants in Malaysia halal certified?
Mr.Suzuki: They are all certified by JAKIM.
Q: Does Capriccioza serve halal menu in Japan?
Mr. Suzuki: No. Although we do have menus that do not use pork or alcohol, the kitchen is not separated and we are not sure about condiments that we use. Therefore, we cannot clearly determine that they are halal at this point.
Q: Any message for Muslim Capriccioza fans?
Mr. Suzuki: Many people from abroad are going to visit Japan towards 2020 Tokyo Olympic. And among the tourists, I’m imaging that especially Muslims will have hard time finding a place to eat since there aren’t enough halal restaurants in Japan. I’m sure Muslims living in Japan are feeling the same. So, we would like to consider halal Capriccioza in Japan.
The day when we all can enjoy halal Capriccioza in Japan isn’t too far away.