Wagamama
Wagamama is a restaurant chain serving food in the style of a Japanese noodle bar. The first Wagamama opened in 1992 in Bloomsbury, London. The chain has grown to include branches in London and across the United Kingdom, as well as in Ireland, Amsterdam, Australia, Dubai, Belgium and Auckland. The word Wagamama is Japanese for "self centered and inconsiderate to others."
Wagamama have a number of features that set them apart from other restaurants. These include:
- Orders are taken via electronic order pads. These are personal digital assistant-sized, 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 as soon as it is ready, so starters and the main courses can arrive in any order.
- Customers sit on either side of large tables—one table can seat around 20 people.
- All restaurants are non-smoking.
- Green tea is supplied for free on request.
- Reservations are not taken. all customers are seated on a first-come, first-served basis. This often leads to long waits.
- Wagamama merchandise can be bought in the restaurant, including a cookbook.