Udon's Asian cuisine with a Barcelona stamp will travel to the American continent. The chain founded by Jordi Pascual and Jordi Vidal has decided to reactivate its international expansion plan after the coronavirus crisis and plans to open its own establishment in Miami in the second half of the year, a milestone that will mark its entry into the United States. It will be its own establishment in a trendy neighborhood in the city, Wynwood, with which the group will test and adapt its concept to the tastes of the local public.
For its landing in America, Udon has also partnered with the Puerto Rican group MGI, which operates various restaurant chains in Caribbean airports. The first fruits of this agreement will be the opening this year of two Udon restaurants at Luis Muñoz Marin Airport, in Puerto Rico, and at Las Américas Airport, in the Dominican Republic.
The objective of the Catalan company is to also establish itself in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, and Chile, although the United States will focus the bulk of the expansion plan on the continent. Once the operation of the Miami establishment has been verified and the model adjusted, Udon will seek franchising partners to grow in the country.
Until now, the chain outside of Spain had only established itself in Portugal and Andorra, and the challenge is to close this year with a minimum of seven restaurants abroad. Udon currently has a network of 67 establishments and has set the goal of reaching one hundred locations by 2024 with the opening of ten to fifteen new restaurants per year. After the pandemic hiatus, new locations will open in Lleida and Vitoria in the coming weeks, joining the franchise that has just opened in Gran de Gràcia, in Barcelona.
The priority in the Spanish market is to grow in Madrid (where it now has 8 restaurants), in Andalusia, and in the Mediterranean arc.
"It is clear that it has been a difficult year for the sector, but we are very optimistic: we have customers who love the brand not only for our dishes, but because values such as respect for the environment and innovation, which are priorities for us, drive us," says Jordi Pascal, co-founder of Udon. According to the businessman, the challenge is "to grow again with a steady pace, with new restaurants in locations where we know we can open an Udon minimizing risk as much as possible". Udon was founded in 2004 and currently employs 850 people.