Wagamama is opening 10 new restaurants in the UK, marking the first expansion of the brand since it was taken private in October.
A new site opened its doors in Bentley Bridge in Wolverhampton on Monday, the first in a series of openings aimed at capturing the growing demand for the pan-Asian chain.
Some 500 jobs are expected to be created from the new venues, building on the restaurant’s 170-strong estate.
New sites are targeted for locations such as Glasgow, Epsom, Chatham, Watford and Doncaster.
Wagamama chief executive Thomas Heier said: “The past year has been an exciting year for us where we evolved the brand through innovative new menu launches.
“Our teams have done an excellent job in continuing to elevate our guest experience and we very much look forward to welcoming more guests to our benches as we head into 2024.”
Last year, the chain opened six new sites while its London-listed owner The Restaurant Group (TRG) was bought by private equity firm Apollo Group for £700 million.
TRG had faced intense scrutiny from its shareholders before its sale, with various activist investors having called for a renewed focus on Wagamama, with calls to spin off non-core brands such as its pub group Brunning and Price.