Toridoll bets Marugame Udon can become a global fast-food category, starting in the US

Japanese restaurant group running almost 2,100 outlets, led by the Marugame Udon chain of fast-service, made-to-order udon.

Udon, a no-frills staple most Americans don't know, can become a major fast-food category, if every outlet keeps making noodles from scratch in view.

Awata, 64, a college dropout, opened his first restaurant in 1985, selling grilled chicken kebabs, and the first Marugame Udon shop in 2000. Toridoll made its first US landing in Honolulu in 2011.

Toridoll runs Marugame in Canada and Britain and operates about 21 West Coast US outlets. A China venture selling pre-made noodles lost to cheaper local rivals and withdrew. Acquisitions have been mixed: Hong Kong's Tam Jai nearly doubled in size after purchase, while in Britain Toridoll sold a Greek chain and cut weak Fulham Shore pizza sites.

Some West Coast outlets regularly rank among Toridoll's 10 highest-selling locations globally, with spending per customer near 3,000 yen, over triple the Japan average. Toridoll plans to expand inland and east, but a recent quarter's operating income fell more than expected on labor costs.

Awata expects overseas revenue to eventually surpass domestic sales because Japan's shrinking population and workforce limit growth at home.

US West Coast outlets already rank among Toridoll's 10 highest-selling globally, with per-customer spend more than triple Japan's.

The China attempt with pre-made noodles lost to cheaper local rivals, which taught Toridoll to keep fresh in-store noodle-making as its edge.

To export a cheap staple, keep the part that looks inefficient at home but sells abroad: made-in-view noodles are what Toridoll defends against cost pressure.

As of late August 2026, Toridoll expected higher full-year income and a 3 per cent revenue rise to 287 billion yen, well short of its one trillion yen goal. Shares had mostly been unchanged but had more than doubled in five years, and Awata said Toridoll is open to acquisitions for market positions.