Wasabi
Wasabi is a UK-founded quick-service restaurant chain serving sushi, hot bento, and noodles across company-owned and franchised locations in the UK and New York, with a Park Royal factory producing 80,000+ ready meals daily for restaurants and major UK supermarket partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Wasabi does
Wasabi (legal entity Wasabi Co. Ltd) is a UK-founded quick-service restaurant chain specializing in sushi, hot bento, noodles, and onigiri, operating company-owned restaurants across London, major UK cities, and transport hubs, with a recent international footprint of four New York locations. Founded by Dong Hyun Kim (Mr Kim) from a Camden Market stall over twenty years ago, the company has scaled to a multi-channel food business anchored by a state-of-the-art factory in Park Royal, London, producing over 80,000 ready meals per day plus sauces and hot food for its restaurant estate. The Park Royal facility also supplies a branded ready-meal range stocked by four major UK grocery chains — Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, and Co-op — extending the brand beyond the restaurant box into home-occasion consumption.
Revenue is generated through four streams: (1) in-restaurant dine-in and takeout sales across the UK and New York estate; (2) wholesale grocery sales of ready meals via major supermarkets; (3) third-party delivery commissions from Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats; and (4) a Wasabi Rewards loyalty programme (1 point per penny spent, redeemable at 4,000 / 8,000 / 15,000 point tiers). Distribution is further broadened by a franchise model launched in 2024 with Lagardère Travel Retail at London Luton Airport, targeting ten franchised stores over five years. Go-to-market combines company-owned retail, franchised retail, click-and-collect (wasabi.vmos.io), delivery aggregators, and grocery wholesale — a horizontal segmentation approach targeting individual consumers, office workers and groups, grocery shoppers, and airport travelers.
The leadership team comprises founder and director Dong Hyun Kim, Chief Executive Officer Henry Birts, IT Director Brendan Mckeown, Managing Director Frederic Lluch, and Group Finance Director Scott Etherington. Wasabi is privately held with no disclosed parent company, acquisitions, or external equity investors; the only external financing on record consists of two HSBC debt facilities in October 2016 (~$30.6M) and March 2018 (~$41.9M). Operational scale is supported by centralized manufacturing, an 84%+ workforce with over one year of service, sustainability commitments including 100% renewable electricity and zero waste-to-landfill, and ongoing ESG programmes such as food donations to The Felix Project and a 2025 partnership with Olio.
Wasabi firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wasabi
- Legal name
- Wasabi Co. Ltd
- Website
- https://wasabi.uk.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Wasabi is a UK-founded quick-service restaurant chain serving sushi, hot bento, and noodles across company-owned and franchised locations in the UK and New York, with a Park Royal factory producing 80,000+ ready meals daily for restaurants and major UK supermarket partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wasabi industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Quick-Service Asian Restaurants
- NAICS
- Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251), Frozen Food Manufacturing (31141)
- SIC
- Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- In-Store Sushi & Asian Prepared Foods (CRAHAKAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Hot Hold & Ready-to-Eat Meals (Rotisserie, Hot Bar, Entrées) (CRAHAKAB), Frozen prepared meals & entrées manufacturing (AFAKAHAA), Refrigerated/Chilled Foods Wholesale (Deli, Prepared, Fresh Pasta, etc.) (AFAIAHAB)
Keywords
Where Wasabi is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Wasabi business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Restaurant Food Sales: In-restaurant dining and takeout sales across UK locations including London, major cities, and transport hubs
- Grocery Retail: Ready meals sold through Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, and Co-op supermarkets
- Delivery Commission: Third-party delivery through Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats platforms
- Loyalty Program: Wasabi Rewards program where customers earn 1 point per penny spent, redeemable for menu items at 4000, 8000, and 15000 point tiers
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Sushi Alfresco Summer Bundle |
| Other | Monthly | Wasabi Rewards Tier 1 |
| Other | Monthly | Wasabi Rewards Tier 2 |
| Other | Monthly | Wasabi Rewards Tier 3 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Wasabi product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wasabi Sushi & Bento operates a chain of quick-service Japanese restaurants across the UK and New York, serving freshly prepared sushi, bento boxes, onigiri, noodles, and Asian hot food. The company is supported by a central production facility at Park Royal producing over 80,000 ready meals daily, with distribution through company-operated stores, major UK supermarkets, and third-party delivery platforms.
Product overview
Wasabi is a hot cloud storage company offering a unified cloud storage platform with core products including Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage and Wasabi AiR. Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage provides instant access to archived content without data retrieval fees, while Wasabi AiR delivers AI-powered metadata solutions for video archives. The company also offers Cloud Tiering as an add-on module that categorizes data by access frequency to optimize storage costs. These products are designed to work together within hybrid cloud storage environments for content creators and media organizations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- In-store restaurant menu (sushi, bento, onigiri, noodles, hot food)
Quantifiable outcome
- Recycled 176 tonnes of plastic and cardboard in 2024
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Wasabi
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Wasabi technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Wasabi partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- The Felix ProjectminorFood donation partnership to prevent waste. In 2024, donated 14,046 kg of good food which provided 33,570 meals for those in need. Partnership helps reduce food waste while supporting community social responsibility.
- OliominorIntroduced in 2025 as a food sharing app partnership to connect surplus food with individuals in local communities, helping to reduce food waste further.
- TescocoreMajor UK supermarket chain stocking Wasabi grocery ready meal range. Available in ready meal sections of Tesco stores nationwide.
- MorrisonscoreMajor UK supermarket chain stocking Wasabi grocery ready meal range. Available in Morrisons stores nationwide.
- Sainsbury'scoreMajor UK supermarket chain stocking Wasabi grocery ready meal range. Available in Sainsbury's stores nationwide.
- Co-opcoreUK supermarket chain stocking Wasabi grocery ready meal range. Available in Co-op stores subject to availability.
- SedexminorSEDEX membership enables Wasabi to work with supply chain to enhance transparency of ingredients' origins. Part of sustainable sourcing initiative.
- DeliveroocoreThird-party food delivery platform partnership for Wasabi restaurant delivery. Customers can order Wasabi through Deliveroo app.
- Just EatcoreThird-party food delivery platform partnership for Wasabi restaurant delivery. Customers can order Wasabi through Just Eat platform.
- Uber EatscoreThird-party food delivery platform partnership for Wasabi restaurant delivery. Customers can order Wasabi through Uber Eats app.
- Vita MojocoreTechnology partner managing Wasabi Rewards loyalty program and mobile app infrastructure. Vita Mojo has access to certain personal customer data to provide the loyalty service.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Wasabi competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- YO! Sushi: UK-based Japanese restaurant chain and Wasabi's most direct competitor. Operates a conveyor-belt sushi concept with dine-in, takeaway, and grocery retail presence. Closely comparable on product, customer base (UK urban diners), and brand positioning.
- Itsu: UK Asian fast-food chain specializing in sushi, bento, and noodles. Directly overlaps with Wasabi on menu, customer segments (lunchtime urban professionals), and grocery ready-meal distribution channels.
- Wagamama: UK-based Asian (Japanese-inspired) restaurant chain serving noodles, bento, and Asian dishes. Competes for the same lunchtime Asian-cuisine occasion, with larger full-service footprint. Comparable on product category and customer base.
- Chopstix: UK Asian quick-service restaurant chain focused on noodles, rice boxes, and bento. Targets similar value-tier customer and transit-hub locations (including airports), making it a close competitor for Wasabi's franchise and high-street locations.
- Sushi Daily: European in-store sushi kiosk operator (Genki-style) producing fresh sushi in supermarket and transit locations. Competes for the grab-and-go sushi customer and uses similar fresh-prep daily model.
Broad incumbents
- Pret a Manger: UK-based quick-service chain offering sandwiches, salads, and hot food including Asian options. Competes with Wasabi for the urban lunchtime occasion and offers similar click-and-collect/dine-in convenience. Larger and broader menu than Wasabi.
- Leon Restaurants: UK fast-casual chain serving healthy, naturally fast food including Asian-inspired dishes. Comparable on UK urban lunch customer segment, health-focused positioning, and supermarket grocery range. Operates more broadly than Wasabi's Japanese niche.
- Marks & Spencer Food Hall: M&S Food sells its own Asian-inspired ready meals in UK grocery. While a much broader retailer, its ready-meal range competes head-to-head with Wasabi's supermarket products on the same shelves and for the same meal-occasion customer.
Emerging players
- Charlie Bigham's: UK premium ready-meal brand sold through major supermarkets including Tesco and Sainsbury's. Direct competitor in the grocery ready-meal aisle where Wasabi distributes via its Park Royal factory output. Comparable on retail channel and customer demographic.
Regional players
- Poke House: European poke/sushi fast-casual chain with presence in UK and continental Europe. Overlaps with Wasabi on raw-ready-to-eat seafood and bowl formats; operates primarily outside UK where Wasabi is concentrated, providing geographic complementarity.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Wasabi social profiles
Digital presenceWasabi financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wasabi leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Wasabi funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wasabi M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Wasabi
What does Wasabi do?
Wasabi Sushi & Bento operates a chain of quick-service Japanese restaurants across the UK and New York, serving freshly prepared sushi, bento boxes, onigiri, noodles, and Asian hot food. The company is supported by a central production facility at Park Royal producing over 80,000 ready meals daily, with distribution through company-operated stores, major UK supermarkets, and third-party delivery platforms.
Is Wasabi a public or private company?
Wasabi is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Wasabi founded?
Wasabi was founded in 2005. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Wasabi based?
Wasabi is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Wasabi make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Restaurant Food Sales are the primary driver. The others are grocery Retail, delivery Commission and loyalty Program.
Who are Wasabi's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are YO! Sushi, Itsu, Wagamama, Chopstix and Sushi Daily. Broad incumbents are Pret a Manger, Leon Restaurants and Marks & Spencer Food Hall. Charlie Bigham's is listed as an emerging player. Poke House is listed as a regional player.
Does Wasabi have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wasabi.
What industry is Wasabi in?
Wasabi's product category is Quick-Service Asian Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHAKAD, In-Store Sushi & Asian Prepared Foods, with a secondary code of CRAHAKAB, Hot Hold & Ready-to-Eat Meals (Rotisserie, Hot Bar, Entrées). Its NAICS code is 722513 and its SIC code is 2030.