Wagamama

Wagamama Limited was incorporated on 29 April 1991 as China Diner Limited. Their first restaurant was opened in 1992 in Bloomsbury, London, founded by Alan Yau, who subsequently created the Chinese restaurants Hakkasan and Yauatcha, and Thai restaurant Busaba Eathai. In June 2005, the restaurant's owner Graphite Capital sold the majority stake of 77.5% to Lion Capital LLP for £103 million. In April 2011, the chain was sold to Duke Street Capital, for an estimated sum of £215 million.

The first site on Streatham Street, Bloomsbury, London, closed permanently on 19 June 2016.

The chain was acquired for £559m by The Restaurant Group, owner of Frankie & Benny's & Chiquito in October 2018. In October 2023 The Restaurant Group was taken over by Apollo Global Management in a deal worth over £700m. Following this restructuring, TRG focused its growth strategy primarily on Wagamama's international expansion.

In September 2024, The Restaurant Group (TRG) announced plans to increase the number of UK restaurants from 161 to 200-220.

Wagamama has released three cookbooks in order to further extend its brand.

Locations

As of 2025, Wagamama has established an international presence with franchised restaurants in 22 countries across Europe and the Middle East. There are also 8 company owned locations in the United States.

Previous countries served by the Wagamama brand include Australia from 2002 to 2014, New Zealand until 2019, and Belgium from 2005 to 2024.

Menu

Wagamama sells dishes including bao, curries, donburi, teppanyaki grill noodles, ramen and pho. As of 2021, they committed to a menu with 50% vegan dishes.