The Wagamama restaurant in Didsbury, an upmarket suburb of south Manchester, is almost deserted shortly after 5pm on Thursday. “We make all our money between 6pm and 8pm,” said Abby, 28, a duty manager who has been with the chain for eight years. Sure enough, it’s not long before the rows of laminated faux wood tables begin filling up with Mancunians eager to get their noodle fix.
A server narrowly dodges a young boy who is clowning around as she delivers a plate of chicken katsu curry. Another member of staff is not convinced. “I don’t know why anyone orders a katsu curry,” she said. “They certainly wouldn’t want to if they saw it cold.”
The staffroom had been a hive of excitement after an email circulated that Wagamama’s parent company, The Restaurant Group (TRG), was the subject of a takeover bid. Apollo Global Management, a Wall Street investment firm, agreed to pay £700 million to take TRG private. At 65p a share, many felt that Apollo’s bid undervalued a group that also owns Brunning & Price, an upmarket pub group, and lucrative restaurant concessions at airports and other travel sites.
Few can dispute that Wagamama is the champion of British casual dining. But how did the nation fall in love with noodles?
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