Marugame Udon lines up double opening
The brand, which is the world’s largest udon noodles and tempura restaurant chain, made its UK and European debut in the capital last year, opening a flagship site on Liverpool Street through a new joint venture between Toridoll Holdings Corporation and Capdesia Group.
It followed that up with a site at The O2 in Greenwich in September and teed up another three London sites.
Both the St Christopher’s Place and Canary Wharf restaurants will open on 3 February.
BigHospitality revealed late last year that Marugame Udon was also preparing to open a site on Argyll Street close to Oxford Circus, which is assumed to be the third of London sites previously teased.
Marugame Udon, which is led in the UK by sector veteran Keith Bird and was named One to Watch at Restaurant's R200 Awards last year, has more than 800 fast casual restaurants in Japan and a further 250 across Asia, the US and Russia, has previously said its intention is to eventually operate 6,000 restaurants worldwide.
The brand specialises in Sanuki udon, which differs from similar Japanese udon noodles in its taste and texture.
Sanuki is a region of the Kagawa prefecture in Japan known for its udon noodles, with the company producing noodles daily in its restaurants using Japanese-imported machines that mimic traditional preparation methods.
Prices are strikingly affordable, with mains starting at £3.45.
Speaking to BigHospitality last year, Bird said he hoped Marugame Udon would open around 10 sites in 2022, and also move towards franchising regionally.
“We’re not a London-centric brand. We want to make it available to all,” he said.
