Native name
|
博多一風堂 |
---|---|
Industry | Foodservice |
Founded | 1985 |
Headquarters | Fukuoka, Japan |
Website | www |
Ippudo, also known as Hakata Ippūdō (博多一風堂?) in Japan, is a Japanese ramen restaurant chain.
Ippudo was first started in Fukuoka by Shigemi Kawahara, the CEO of Chikaranomoto Company. "Ippudo" in direct translation means "one wind hall", and this is named because at the time, there were dark clouds over the Kyushu ramen industry, and the founder CEO Kawahara intended to "blow wind and revolutionise the era".
The first restaurant opened in 1985, in the Daimyo District of Chuo Ward, in Fukuoka City. Gradually the number of restaurants expanded from regional areas to the whole of Japan, mainly in the Kanto and Kansai regions. In the year 2000 as a tie-up with Seven Eleven a cup noodle version was made by Nissin Foods.
In 2008 the first overseas restaurant opened in New York City's East Village, with another location in Midtown West opening in 2013. Ippudo NY has been praised many times in the press for its ramen bowls. 2009 saw Ippudo expand into Singapore with a restaurant in the Mandarin Gallery section of the 5-star Mandarin Orchard Singapore hotel, while a second restaurant, Ippudo Tao, was opened in 2010 at UE Square. In 2013, it was re-branded as Ippudo SG @ Mohamed Sultan. On 18 July 2011, Ippudo officially opened their Hong Kong branch in Silvercord, Tsim Sha Tsui.
In 2014 Ippudo opened its first European restaurant in Central Saint Giles in London.