Marugame Seimen

Marugame Seimen
IndustryFoodservice
Headquarters
Kobe, Hyōgo
,
Japan
Number of locations
1,006
Area served
Australia
East Asia
Southeast Asia
United Kingdom
United States
Canada
RevenueDecrease¥89.9 billion (2019)[1]
Decrease¥12.4 billion (2019)[1]
ParentToridoll Holdings Corporation
Websitejp.marugame.com Edit this at Wikidata
Toridoll Holdings Corporation
TYO: 3397
Websitetoridoll.com

Marugame Seimen (丸亀製麺), also known as Marugame Udon outside of Japan, is a Japanese fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in udon. The chain is operated by Toridoll Holdings Corporation [ja] based in Kobe.[2]

In April 2023 Toridoll agreed to buy Franco Manca and The Real Greek from Fulham Shore for £93.4m.[3]

Description

Marugame Seimen is one of the largest business formats owned by Toridoll Holdings Corporation since the 2000s.[4] The udon chain has become the first to have a location across all 47 prefectures across Japan in 2011.[5]

Changes in foreign locations

The name of the udon chain is changed to "MARUKAME" in foreign locations, to prevent foreigners from pronouncing "GAME" in the chain's original name "MARUGAME" as "game".[6] The name of "Bukkake udon" was forced to change its name to "BK udon", as the term "Bukkake" in English describes a sexual act.

Controversy over the brand name

Despite its name, the chain does not have a location in Marugame, Kagawa with the chain only having a single location in Kagawa Prefecture, where udon is famous for. The chain's name has been criticized by locals in Kagawa.[7] The chain's first store is located in Kakogawa, Hyōgo, which opened in 2000.[8]

The menu mostly consists of Sanuki udon, which are made in each location,[9] rice balls, Doughnut, and other toppings, such as Tempura.

Operation

As of June 2024, the chain has 786 locations across Japan.[10] The chain also has 271 operations outside Japan, including in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Cambodia, Canada, Vietnam, Taiwan, Indonesia, China, and Hong Kong.[11]

Marugame Seimen closed all stores in South Korea in 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic.[12]

On 31 March 2022, Marugame Seimen closed all three stores in Thailand.[13] They also closed all stores located in Russia following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, the Russian locations continues illegal operations as "Maru".[14]

Marugame Seimen opened its first Canadian store in Vancouver on 24 February 2024.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b Tin-yau, Kin (2019-05-17). "Japan's top noodle shop operator to speed up global expansion". ejinsight.
  2. ^ "Pokéworks Partners with Global Restaurant Investment Powerhouse Toridoll". MarketWatch. 2018-08-06.
  3. ^ Butler, Sarah (5 April 2023). "Franco Manca owner agrees to £93m buyout by Japanese group". The Guardian.
  4. ^ "個人投資家の皆様へ".
  5. ^ "うどん業界初!「丸亀製麺」全国47都道府県出店達成!!" (PDF).
  6. ^ "「丸亀製麺」英文ブランド名「MARUKAME UDON」について" (PDF).
  7. ^ "丸亀製麺は"讃岐うどん"の看板を下ろしたほうがいい、これだけの理由". ITmedia ビジネスオンライン (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  8. ^ "兵庫生まれの「丸亀製麺」創業者、４０年暮らした加古川で観光大使に…第１号店の市に「恩返し」". 読売新聞オンライン (in Japanese). 2023-07-20. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  9. ^ "ブランド | 株式会社トリドールホールディングス". ブランド | 株式会社トリドールホールディングス (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  10. ^ McGee, Oona (2019-06-21). "Watching a one-star certified master udon craftsman at work…at a famous Japanese noodle chain". SoraNews24.
  11. ^ "海外店舗一覧｜ここのうどんは、生きている。丸亀製麺". jp.marugame.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  12. ^ 日本テレビ. "「丸亀製麺」韓国撤退 事業回復見通せず｜日テレNEWS NNN". 日テレNEWS NNN (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  13. ^ "ร้านอาหารปิดอีกแล้ว! Marugame Seimen ปิดทุกสาขา 31 มี.ค. 2565 นี้ สายอุด้งอย่าลืมไปใช้บริการ". Brand Inside. 2022-03-16.
  14. ^ 産経新聞 (2022-04-09). "〈独自〉閉店の丸亀製麺、ロシア側が無断営業か 屋号「マル」に変更". 産経新聞：産経ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  15. ^ "バンクーバーのダウンタウンに「丸亀製麺」 カナダ初の路面店". バンクーバー経済新聞.


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