Ichiran

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Ichiran
Company typePrivate
IndustryRestaurants
FoundedFukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan in May 1993
Headquarters
Fukuoka
,
Japan
Area served
Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, United States
ProductsRamen
WebsiteOfficial website

Ichiran Ramen (一蘭, Ichiran) is a Japanese ramen food-service business specializing in tonkotsu ramen.[1] The chain restaurant began in Fukuoka[2] in 1960 as a ramen stall named "Futaba Ramen" (屋台双葉ラーメン). It was later renamed "Ichiran"(一蘭 "one orchid")in 1966. After three decades of serving ramen from a single location, under the leadership of CEO Manabu Yoshitomi it opened its first concept store in 1993, which became the blueprint for all future Ichiran ramen shop locations.

Locations[edit]

The accoutrements of the solo dining experience at Ichiran, including self-service water. Ichiran ramen is served to guests in individual booths behind a curtain to allow the diner to focus on the ramen.

In November 2016, Ichiran USA opened a noodle factory and restaurant in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City.[1] It imports its key components, broth and spicy red sauce, from Japan as of 2016.[3] After trying to open in New York for 10 years, it abandoned an earlier plan of opening a restaurant in Manhattan due to regulations and logistics challenges.[3]

By 2017 Ichiran had expanded across Japan to more than 65 locations. Outside of Japan, Ichiran has restaurants in Hong Kong, Taipei, Taichung, and Brooklyn, New York. The pricing of the New York restaurant has been subject to criticism (tonkotsu ramen costs $18.90 there); Ichiran's director of operations Hana Isoda argues that the prices are not far from New York City's other top ramen restaurants.[4] The Brooklyn location has both tables and booths.[5] A Midtown, Manhattan location based on its solo dining concept opened in 2018 on West 31st Street, between Sixth and Seventh avenues[6] as well as a Times Square location that opened in 2019 located on West 49th Street also between Sixth and Seventh avenues.[7] Ichiran planned to open at least three new U.S. locations by 2020.[8]

See also[edit]

This Ichiran restaurant in Dōtonbori, Osaka is open 24hrs

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Feldmar, Jamie (May 16, 2017). "Japan's and China's Hottest Food Franchises Have Diners Lining Up in NYC". Village Voice. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  2. ^ King, Marshall V. (4 August 2014). "Yes, the sushi in Japan really is that good". The Elkhart Truth. Archived from the original on 11 July 2016. Retrieved 2015-09-21.
  3. ^ a b King, Ariana (22 Oct 2016). "Sizzle or fizzle? Yet another Japanese ramen chain bets on Big Apple". Nikkei Asian Review. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  4. ^ Ichiran Ramen Costs More Than Double in NYC And People Are Pissed: It costs like $7 in Japan Archived 2018-02-20 at the Wayback Machine Serena Dai, eater.com Oct 20, 2016
  5. ^ Slurping Solo, in Sweet Isolation, at Ichiran in Brooklyn Archived 2018-02-20 at the Wayback Machine PETE WELLS, New York Times, JAN. 17, 2017
  6. ^ Ichiran Is Now Dishing Out Ramen for Solo Diners in Manhattan
  7. ^ Popular Solo Dining Ramen Chain Ichiran Is Opening a Two-Level Times Square Restaurant
  8. ^ Hit Ramen Chain Ichiran Is Bringing Solo Dining Booths to Manhattan: The restaurant known for tonkotsu ramen is expanding Archived 2018-02-20 at the Wayback Machine Serena Dai, eater.com Feb 5, 2018,

External links[edit]