Learning the “Roots of a Company” from McDonald’s, Ikkaku, Marugame Seimen, Ippudo, and Hachiban Ramen
HELLO eVERYONE!
Hello everyone. I am Rocky Fujii, founder of Yamato Manufacturing.
Recently, while studying food service companies that are successful around the world, I noticed something they have in common.
That is, the more successful a company is, the less it is simply selling a “product”.
Of course, products are important to food service companies.
Taste, quality, price, speed of service, and store design. None of these can be left out.
However, when we look at companies that have enjoyed popularity around the world for a long time, we can see that, more than the products themselves, they are selling the experiences and values that arise through those products, in other words, the “culture”.
What does McDonald’s sell?
Did McDonald’s sell hamburgers? I do not think that is all.
McDonald’s, together with Coca-Cola, spread an American-style lifestyle culture throughout the world.
- Fast
- Cheap
- Clean
- Bright
- Easy for families to use
It exported this American-style food and lifestyle atmosphere throughout the world.
No matter where in the world you go, you can receive a certain level of quality and a similar sense of reassurance. I believe that this value of being able to have “the same experience” is one of the major reasons McDonald’s became a global company.
In other words, McDonald’s did not sell only hamburgers. It sold American lifestyle culture itself.
What does Ikkaku sell?
Ikkaku, which originated in Marugame City, Kagawa Prefecture, is famous for its grilled bone-in chicken.
So, does Ikkaku sell bone-in chicken? Again, I think it is slightly different.
What Ikkaku provides is the enjoyment of heartily biting into bone-in chicken.
It is the sense of liberation that comes from drinking a cold beer. It is the time spent talking with friends and family. It is a powerful eating experience that feels as though it blows away the stresses of everyday life.
Through the product called bone-in chicken, customers are enjoying “a time when their emotions are liberated”.
In other words, Ikkaku is selling not only the grilled bone-in chicken itself, but also a “culture of emotional release” centered around bone-in chicken.
What does Marugame Seimen sell?
The strength of Marugame Seimen lies in making these values into something customers can clearly experience right before their eyes.
Marugame Seimen appears to be selling Udon. However, its essence is not simply selling Udon.
Freshly made – Freshly boiled – Freshly served
The reason for making noodles in the store is not simply to improve the efficiency of the manufacturing process. It is to allow customers to experience “the culture of freshly made Udon”.
Sanuki Udon has the firmness of the noodles, dashi, tempura, the self-service style, and the atmosphere of enjoying food freshly prepared.
Marugame Seimen has reconstructed these elements as a modern food service chain and is spreading them both domestically and overseas.
In other words, Marugame Seimen is not selling Udon, but Sanuki Udon culture.
What does Ippudo sell?
Ippudo, too, is not a company that simply sells Hakata ramen. What Ippudo sells is “Ippudo culture” – a fusion of founder Shigemi Kawahara’s aesthetics and Hakata ramen culture.
It is not just about taste
- Restaurant design
- Customer service
- A sense of cleanliness
- Energy
- A space that is easy for women to enter as well Building a brand that can succeed overseas
I believe all of these are things that have taken Mr. Kawahara’s philosophy and given it tangible form. Rather than simply presenting Hakata Ramen as a regional culture as it is, he adapted it to the times and refined it into a brand that can succeed throughout the world.
That is the essence of Ippudo. In other words, Ippudo is not selling ramen itself, but the Hakata ramen culture reconstructed through the filter of Shigemi Kawahara.
What does Hachiban Ramen sell?
Hachiban Ramen operates more than 160 stores in Thailand. This is not simply because Japanese Ramen sold well.
It is because Hachiban Ramen TRANSLATED Japanese Ramen culture to fit the everyday culture of Thai people.
Used by families. Stopping by during shopping. Being able to eat with peace of mind. You can go there as part of your everyday life.
I believe Hachiban Ramen has long been supported in Thailand precisely because it has become part of these everyday situations.
What is important in overseas expansion is not simply taking Japanese flavors overseas as they are. It is translating the culture into a form that fits into the lives of local customers. Hachiban Ramen can be described as a company that translated Japanese ramen culture into Thai everyday culture.
The essence of global expansion
McDonald’s spread American lifestyle culture throughout the world.
Ikkaku provides a culture of emotional release through bone-in chicken.
Marugame Seimen spreads Sanuki udon culture as a modern food service chain.
Ippudo delivers a ramen culture imbued with Mr. Kawahara’s aesthetic to the world.
Hachiban Ramen translated Japanese ramen culture into Thai everyday culture.
What they have in common is that they are not selling only products. They use products as an “entrance” while selling the culture, experiences and values that lie behind them.
The more successful a company is, the more it protects its “Roots”
I believe that the more successful a company is, the more it has things that it will never change, even while changing with the times.
- Menus change
- Prices change
- Restaurants change
- Equipment changes
Customers’ values also change with the times. However, the essence of a company should not be changed easily.
Why does the company exist? What value does it want to deliver to its customers? What kind of culture does it want to preserve and spread?
I call the essence that this company must never lose its “Roots”. A company with roots does not lose its way even when the times change. Conversely, a company whose roots have become unclear becomes more susceptible to being swayed by trends and price competition.
Japanese noodle businesses have an opportunity to share Japan’s rich noodle culture with the world.
But simply exporting noodles is not enough. We must first understand our own roots: What are we selling? What culture are we creating? And why does a customer choose that particular bowl?
Ramen, udon, soba, and pasta are more than delicious noodles. To be truly appreciated around the world, we must communicate the culture behind them—their origins, how they are served, the artisan’s philosophy, and the attention to texture and detail.
Successful food companies do more than sell products: they preserve and share their culture, rooted in their unique heritage and values.
The next decade of the noodle industry will be shaped by how well companies understand and communicate their roots. Yamato Manufacturing will continue researching and sharing Japanese noodle culture and its roots with the world as a leader in food texture research.
Fujii ‘Rocky’ Kaoru
