The average Marugame Udon store does $3.48 million a year in sales, with about 2,700 transactions a week. In this episode of CHOMP, our host goes behind the scenes at Marugame Udon in Aliso Viejo, California, where noodles are made fresh in front of guests. The brand runs over 1,000 locations worldwide and still makes its noodles fresh in every restaurant. A Marugame Udon CEO shares how the open "Udon factory" kitchen is laid out, why the biggest lesson in restaurants is about people and leadership, why teams need to understand the "why" behind every task, and how planning and managing waste make a store successful. Then the host taste-tests the cold Nikutama Udon, tempura, the new Bolognese Udon, Creamy Broth, an eel bento box and the pineapple sunrise drink. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 $3.48 million per store: Marugame's average sales 0:25 Welcome to Marugame Udon in Aliso Viejo 1:05 A typical Marugame store 1:34 What "Marugame" means and how fresh noodles are made 2:49 How ordering works, from noodles to tempura 4:14 The "Udon factory" open kitchen 5:25 Open dishwashing and shichimi toppings 6:44 From global expansion to leading the U.S. 9:51 Choosing tempura: shrimp, zucchini and mushrooms 10:11 The biggest lesson: it's about people and leadership 12:20 Taste test: cold Nikutama Udon and pineapple sunrise 13:50 The couple who left the airport for Marugame 14:37 Tempura taste test: shrimp and zucchini 15:37 Tamago tempura and the new Bolognese udon 16:38 Quality standards, the "why" and what success looks like 19:31 Taste test: creamy broth and eel bento box 21:20 Pineapple sunrise and final thoughts 💬 What's your go-to Udon order? Join free: https://restaurantassociation.com Restaurant Association is an independent global organization representing restaurant owners. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any other national, state, provincial, or local restaurant association. #MarugameUdon #RestaurantBusiness #CHOMP #Udon #RestaurantAssociation

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