Changing the dining-out experience | The value and importance of dining experiences | The potential of noodles
Dining out is shifting from “taste” to “experience”
The world of dining out is changing significantly.
The reason is simple: there are too many delicious restaurants.
As a result, taste alone is no longer enough to differentiate, and people now choose restaurants based on how they experience them.
Here, “experience” refers to how customers engage with the food and the space.
This shift is happening not only in Japan, but all over the world.
FOR EXAMPLE
MARUGAME SEIMEN
A “live demonstration experience” where customers can watch noodles being made and boiled
SUSHI(COUNTER)
An “omakase experience” where customers entrust the chef instead of choosing themselves
KAITEN SUSHI
The enjoyment of choosing from sushi as it passes by and ordering without interaction
ICHIRAN
“Immersive experience” focused on taste through partitions and minimal interaction
TEPPANYAKI
A live experience of flames and knife skills right in front of you and your family
TEPPANYAKI
Using chopsticks and slurping noodles itself becomes a cross-cultural experience
Even though the act is the same – i.e. eating, the value changes greatly depending on how one engages with it.
In other words, how you eat has become the value.
Experience becomes stronger by “removing” the elements
Recent trends in dining out are not only about adding experiences.
There is also a move toward deliberately removing elements.
By removing things, value can actually be enhanced.
This is because people feel greater value and remember experiences more deeply when they are focused.
By stripping away unnecessary information and conversation, as seen in Ichiran, people can concentrate on the taste itself and perceive greater value.
Noodles are a product you can experience
This way of thinking applies directly to noodle dishes as well.
In noodles, the experience and value are not just about taste, but about what happens in the mouth, in other words, texture.
For example:
- Firmness
- Elasticity
- Smoothness when swallowing (“nodogoshi”)
All of these are forms of food entertainment for the person who is eating. Noodles are also a product that is very easy to design in terms of experience.
This is because texture changes significantly depending on factors such as:
- Ingredients
- Hydration level
- Production method
- Thickness and shape
- Aging (maturation)
- Boiling time and method
- Temperature
- Moisture level
Because of these variables, even the same “noodles” can create completely different experiences depending on how they are designed and crafted.
Experience becomes stronger by “removing” the elements
Another important point is that the serving method also greatly changes the experience.
For example, even with the same noodles (Udon in this case), their characteristics change depending on the serving style:
Kamaage
Soft, chewy texture with warmth feel
Kake
Balanced integration with the broth
Zaru
Firm texture and smooth throat feel
Bukkake
Strong flavor with a direct, concentrated texture
All of these create completely different experiences from the same noodles. With further creativity, new experiences can also be developed.
For example, if kamaage udon is served in a seafood-based broth: It can be eaten like kake while still retaining the texture of kamaage
This creates a new hybrid experience.
From there, it can even be developed into Korean-style or Western-style variations.
Dining out is shifting toward an era of “how it is experienced”.
Noodles are a particularly strong product because their experience can be freely designed.
The simpler the product, like noodles, the more potential it has to create virtually unlimited experiences.
That is why, going forward, what matters in dining out is not just taste, but what kind of experience is being offered alongside it.
Fujii ‘Rocky’ Kaoru
