This week Chris talks to Stephen Phillips, Director of Operations at Marugame.

During the chat we discuss:

1. The excitement surrounding the arrival of Marugame during the pandemic and the challenges of anglicising the brand for the European market
2. The challenges of building a brand during a pandemic, Steve shares their experience of building a brand during the pandemic and the unique obstacles he faced. He had to navigate through cultural differences, franchising issues, and the need to anglicise the brand for the European market
3. That the Marugame brand is massive in Japan and highly regarded, even surpassing Apple and Disney in brand advocacy polls.
4. Due to travel restrictions during the pandemic, Stephen couldn't go to Japan and had to rely on videos and documents to familiarise himself with the brand and its operations.
5. The growth of Marugame in the UK, with over 1,200 sites globally, and the difficulty in understanding the breadth of the business from the outside.
6. Stephens experience of going to Taiwan during the pandemic, where he had to undergo quarantine and was then surprised to end up in a dormitory in the hills above Taipei!
7. The importance of educating customers about their brand and product, particularly when it comes to introducing a new concept like Udon noodles. Stephen and his team had to emphasise the need to create an educational piece for customers to understand and appreciate the product's uniqueness.
8. How building a tech stack for the brand was a challenge, and they aimed to be fast followers rather than trailblazers to minimise risks.
9. How referencing a tech product with fellow operators and consistency were top of the Marugame check list when acquiring tech
10. The various components of the tech stack acquired, such as paperless systems, digital menus, CRM and loyalty systems, kitchen and fridge monitoring, and feedback systems. Integration between these systems was a challenge, and some relationships between tech owners were not as joined up as desired.




and much more......

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