Wagamama

Wagamama is a restaurant chain serving pan-Asian food in the style of a modern noodle bar. The first Wagamama opened in 1992 off Gower Street in Bloomsbury, London, which still exists today. The chain now includes branches in London, Bristol and across England, as well as in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, The Netherlands, Istanbul, Australia, Dubai, Belgium, New Zealand, Switzerland, Egypt and Copenhagen, and the United States (in Boston and Cambridge MA). The chain's website defines "wagamama" as "wilful / naughty child"; however, a more accurate translation of the Japanese adjective is "selfish". Their trademarked slogan is: "positive eating + positive living".

The chain was created by Alan Yau, who also subsequently created the Chinese restaurants Hakkasan and Yauatcha in London.

Features

Wagamama has a number of features that have since been adopted by many restaurants. These include:

* Orders are taken via PDAs, and wirelessly networked to the kitchen, so that as soon as an order is taken it can begin to be prepared.
* Food is delivered to the table once cooked, with side dishes being served instead of starters (these and the main courses arrive in any order; once prepared).
* Customers sit on either side of large tables—one table-seat 20 people or more.
* All restaurants are non-smoking, by law in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales and the Netherlands
* Green tea is supplied free on request.
* In general, reservations are not taken; all customers are seated on a first-come, first-served basis.

External links

* [http://www.wagamama.com/ Official website]