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Marugame Seimen

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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

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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

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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

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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]

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

Operation

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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]

Country/territory Number of locations Date of first store opened Notes
 JapanJapan

References

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  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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