| Marugame Seimen | |
| Location City: | Kobe, Hyōgo |
| Location Country: | Japan |
| Locations: | 1,006 |
| Area Served: | Australia East Asia Southeast Asia United Kingdom United States Canada |
| Industry: | Foodservice |
| Revenue: | ¥89.9 billion (2019)[1] |
| Net Income: | ¥12.4 billion (2019) |
| Parent: | Toridoll Holdings Corporation |
| Toridoll Holdings Corporation |
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 based in Kobe.[2]
In April 2023 Toridoll agreed to buy Franco Manca and The Real Greek from Fulham Shore for £93.4m.[3]
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]
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.
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]
The menu mostly consists of Sanuki udon, which are made in each location,[9] rice balls, Doughnut, and other toppings, such as Tempura.
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]