Wagamama
British chain serving pan-Asian cuisine since 1992.
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Wagamama Limited, a British restaurant chain based in London, focuses on pan-Asian dishes like ramen, teppanyaki, and donburi. Alan Yau launched the brand in 1992, with its first restaurant opening in Bloomsbury. By 2026, the chain had 169 locations across the United Kingdom and more than 80 additional sites internationally, spread across Europe, the Middle East, and the United States through a combination of company-owned and franchised outlets.
History
Wagamama Limited was incorporated on 29 April 1991 as China Diner Limited. Its first restaurant opened in 1992 in Bloomsbury, London, founded by Alan Yau, who later created Hakkasan, Yauatcha, and Busaba Eathai. In June 2005, Graphite Capital sold a 77.5% majority stake to Lion Capital LLP for £103 million. The chain was sold to Duke Street Capital in April 2011 for an estimated £215 million.
The original Bloomsbury site closed permanently on 19 June 2016. In October 2018, The Restaurant Group acquired Wagamama for £559m. In September 2024, TRG announced plans to increase UK restaurants from 161 to 200-220. Wagamama has released three cookbooks.
Corporate affairs
In November 2015, the Marine Conservation Society named Wagamama as one of seven restaurants that failed to meet a basic level of seafood sustainability, though this was later retracted after Wagamama provided more information about its seafood origins. In December 2017, Wagamama apologised after workers in Finchley were warned of disciplinary action for calling in sick over Christmas; the manager cited staff contracts, and Wagamama called it an isolated incident. During the COVID-19 pandemic, The Restaurant Group closed 250 restaurants, resulting in nearly 4,500 job losses.
Did You Know?
- Wagamama previously operated in Australia from 2002 to 2014, New Zealand until 2019, and Belgium from 2005 to 2024.
- As of 2025, Wagamama has franchised restaurants in 22 countries across Europe and the Middle East.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Wagamama (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Currency conversion: European Central Bank euro reference rates, rates of 19 October 2026.
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