Wagamama: the real story

by Matthew Rock - Thursday, 4th October 2007 -

There was news today that Wagamama may float on the LSE. But don't forget how these noodle bars began...

The potential £200m listing of the noodle bar chain Wagamama will mean fat fees for advisers, as well as the various private equity firms that have built the brand over the past nine years.

But don't forget that the high-concept restaurant chain was first founded by the brilliant entrepreneur Alan Yau back in the nineties. Yau, who I interviewed earlier this year, is not your regular flamboyant entrepreneur. He's a quietly spoken, cautious, detail-obsessed restaurateur of some genius.

Recalling how he decided upon the name, he says: "I had this Japanese lodger at the time, an 18-year-old girl, and all her friends called her 'Wagamama'." What does it mean? "Spoilt child. I just thought it was funny."

Yau had originally tried to create a Chinese fast food concept, but found himself confounded by food portability issues. So he spent a stint working at McDonald's, studying their processes and standards, and saw the correlation between burger components and those of Wagamama's now-famous "Raman" food.

With its formula of fresh, simple food served super-fast in uber-contemporary spaces, Yau had an international winner on his hands. Today, Wagamama has 51 outlets in the UK.

What would Yau's advice be to other entrepreneurs setting on their way? "Whatever you do, you must believe passionately in it. If you believe in your idea, the risk you're taking just becomes automatic."

To listen and watch the full interview with Alan Yau visit the British Library's website.

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