Wagamama and Charcoal Concepts Announce Joint Venture to Accelerate Expansion in India

The Restaurant Group (TRG) has entered into a multi-million-pound joint venture with Charcoal Concepts, the multi-brand restaurant platform of K Hospitality Corp, to drive the expansion of Wagamama across India.

The announcement coincides with the launch of Wagamama's fourth Indian restaurant in Mumbai. Under the partnership, the two companies plan to open at least 100 Wagamama outlets across the country over the next decade. The Restaurant Group is one of the UK's leading hospitality companies, operating hundreds of restaurants and pub restaurants through brands including Wagamama, Barburrito and Brunning & Price.

Charcoal Concepts backed by K Hospitality Corp, was established to develop and scale leading food and beverage brands in India. Its portfolio spans celebrated homegrown brands such as Copper Chimney and Bombay Brasserie, alongside international names including Wagamama.

The joint venture builds on the strong performance of Wagamama's first Indian restaurant in Churchgate, Mumbai, which opened a year ago and surpassed initial business expectations. The partners now aim to establish Wagamama as a leading pan-Asian dining brand in India.

K Hospitality Corp operates more than 700 locations across eight countries with a workforce exceeding 12,000 employees. Its portfolio includes publicly listed Travel Food Services (TFS), Copper Chimney, Nando's, Wagamama, Bombay Brasserie, Blue Sea Banquets & Catering, and Kliff Ventures, the group's investment arm focused on scaling consumer-facing businesses.

Wagamama outlets at Indian airports continue to operate under a separate franchise agreement with Travel Food Services (TFS), K Hospitality Corp's airport foodservice and travel QSR business.

“We’re delighted to officially announce the joint venture with our partners K Hospitality, after months of hard work and collaboration between our two companies. “India is an important target market for us as we grow internationally and gives us more opportunity to introduce more guests to our world-famous flavours, vibrant atmosphere and distinctive dining experience that makes us so special,” commented Andy Hornby, CEO,TRG.

Francisco Neves, SVP, Franchise & Partnerships, Wagamama, said, “This is a really important milestone for us, and we’re delighted to be further cementing our partnership with Charcoal Concepts. “Our first restaurants have exceeded our performance expectations, and I'm really excited to see more Wagamamas open up across the country.”

Karan Kapur, Executive Director, K Hospitality said, "The response to Wagamama since its India debut has far exceeded all our expectations, reaffirming the growing appetite for great global concepts with strong local relevance. We are excited to partner with The Restaurant Group to expand Wagamama's presence and build the brand into a market leader in Asian cuisine in the country."

“This joint venture marks the beginning of a long-term growth journey for Wagamama in India. We see an incredible opportunity to build one of the country's most loved and admired casual dining brands by combining Wagamama's globally recognised proposition with Charcoal Concepts deep understanding of the Indian consumer and our expertise in scaling restaurant brands,” mentioned Rohan Sable, CEO, Charcoal Concepts.