Wagamama York in Goodramgate closing for refurbishment

Wagamama York in Goodramgate will close on Sunday (April 28) and plans to reopen on Wednesday next week (May 1) in time for the chain's summer menu launch.

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General manager Jake Attley said: "Once we have reopened we will then continue small works throughout the night after closing until the May 13 when we will open fully from our refresh.

"We want to bring our York restaurant up to date with our modern new kaizen design, meaning ‘good change’, which plays a part in our culture.

"We want our guests to still experience our friendly, fast service but in a newer more modern setting.

"We know that York is a special city and has a real vibe around it, we want to play a part in that just as much as the other businesses throughout the centre."

Wagamama in Goodramgate in York is set to close for a refit (Image: Supplied)

Wagamama is set to introduce several new "mouth-watering" Japanese-inspired dishes to its menu in May including a saku saku soba and thai beef salad.

The new dishes come as part of the popular restaurant chain's 2024 summer menu, which will also include the introduction of "new unique drinks menu". 

Chief Marketing Officer at Wagamama, Kay Bartlett, said: “We know that our guest are now, more than ever, looking to escape from life’s realities through soulful bowls and inspiring experiences.

"Our new summer menu includes an array of innovative new dishes and drinks, that bring our guests on a sensory and escapist journey where they can take a moment to pause and truly ‘savour the summer’.

"All inspired by our philosophy of kaizen which we have been practicing since we first opened our doors in 1992.”

Wagamama is known for casual dining on bench seating and has more than 170 restaurants across the UK after first launching in London 32 years ago.

Sales at Wagamama restaurants jumped by more than a 10th in the half-year to August, on a like-for-like basis compared with the same period the year before.

Wagamama’s owner The Restaurant Group (TRG) was bought by US private equity giant Apollo which agreed to buy the business for £701 million, including debts, in October.

It sparked a takeover battle for TRG, which also owns the Brunning and Price pub group, with Pizza Express owner Wheel Topco also considering making a bid for the group.

But it pulled out of a potential offer because of “market conditions”.

TRG last year agreed to sell off its loss-making restaurant chains Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquto to Big Table Group – the owner of Bella Italia, Las Iguanas and Banana Tree.

TRG said it would pay £7.5 million in cash to Big Table for it to buy its struggling leisure division.

Wagamama in Goodramgate (Image: Supplied)