Wagaya Japanese Restaurant
Wagaya is a privately held, founder-owned Japanese restaurant operator in Atlanta, Georgia, running two dine-in storefronts (Westside and Emory Village) plus a co-located Japanese grocery store, with catering, online ordering via Toast and ChowNow, and gift certificate sales serving local consumers and institutional clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersAtlanta, Georgia, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Wagaya Japanese Restaurant does
Wagaya Japanese Restaurant is a privately held, founder-owned operator of authentic Japanese restaurants based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 2015 in Home Park/Westside, the company operates two dine-in storefronts (Westside at 339 14th St NW and Emory Village at 1579 N Decatur Rd NE) serving sushi, ramen, donburi, tempura, and teishoku combinations to local Atlanta consumers, plus a co-located Japanese grocery store beneath the Westside location selling imported instant ramen, snacks, seasonings, ice cream, craft beers, drinks, and household goods.
The business supports three commercial channels beyond in-restaurant dining: pickup and delivery orders through third-party platforms Toast and ChowNow, a catering service for corporate and institutional events (buffets or individual packs), and gift certificate sales with optional handmade origami packaging. The catering operation has documented clients including Georgia State University, Georgia Tech, Emory University, Warner Bros., Smith Gambrell Russel LLP, the Japan America Society of Georgia, and the EAST Institute. Technology footprint is limited to those commerce integrations, a Wix-hosted website, and Facebook/Instagram social profiles; there are no proprietary digital products, no mobile apps, and no AI/ML capabilities described.
Revenue is generated through per-transaction dine-in, online pickup/delivery, catering, grocery retail, and gift certificate sales, with no subscription, licensing, or membership pricing models disclosed. The company has grown organically without external funding, expanding from the original 2015 location to a second storefront and an adjacent grocery retail concept in 2020, and earning regional press recognition (Zagat, Haute Living, Atlanta INtown, TripSavvy, Decatur Living) primarily during 2016–2018.
Wagaya Japanese Restaurant firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wagaya Japanese Restaurant
- Legal name
- Wagaya
- Website
- https://wagaya.us
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Wagaya is a privately held, founder-owned Japanese restaurant operator in Atlanta, Georgia, running two dine-in storefronts (Westside and Emory Village) plus a co-located Japanese grocery store, with catering, online ordering via Toast and ChowNow, and gift certificate sales serving local consumers and institutional clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wagaya Japanese Restaurant industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Japanese Restaurant
- NAICS
- Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- East Asian (Chinese/Japanese/Korean) Grocery Stores (CRAHAFAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- In-Store Sushi & Asian Prepared Foods (CRAHAKAD)
Keywords
Where Wagaya Japanese Restaurant is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Atlanta, Georgia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Wagaya Japanese Restaurant business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Dine-In Restaurant Service: Traditional dine-in service at two Atlanta restaurant locations offering authentic Japanese cuisine including sushi, ramen, and donburi.
- Online Ordering (Pickup & Delivery): Third-party online ordering platforms (Toast and ChowNow) for customer pickup and delivery orders from both restaurant locations.
- Catering Services: Corporate and event catering services including buffets and individual packs for holiday parties, office meetings, and school functions.
- Gift Certificates: Gift certificate sales available at both locations and for online purchase with mailing option.
- Japanese Grocery Store: Japanese grocery retail operation offering instant ramen, snacks, seasonings, ice cream, candy, craft beers, drinks, and cleaners, operating Monday-Sunday 12pm-9:30pm.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels4 records
Wagaya Japanese Restaurant product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wagaya is an authentic Japanese restaurant with two Atlanta locations (Westside and Emory Village) serving fresh sushi, six varieties of ramen, donburi, teishoku combinations, and tempura for dine-in, pickup, and delivery. The offering is extended through a Japanese catering service for events, gift certificates, and an attached Japanese grocery store (Wagaya Groceries) selling imported ramen, snacks, seasonings, craft beer, and household goods.
Product overview
Wagaya is an authentic Japanese restaurant chain with two Atlanta locations (Westside and Emory Village). The offering consists of a core restaurant service providing dine-in Japanese cuisine (sushi, ramen, donburi, tempura) enhanced by three supporting services: a catering service for events, a Japanese grocery store for retail products, and gift certificates. Online ordering is facilitated through third-party platforms Toast and ChowNow.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wagaya Dine-In Restaurant Service Authentic Japanese dine-in restaurant service at the Westside (339 14th St NW) and Emory Village (1579 N Decatur Rd NE) locations in Atlanta, offering fresh sushi, six varieties of ramen, donburi, teishoku, tempura, and craft beer in a traditional paper-lantern and vintage-decor atmosphere.
- Wagaya Online Ordering, Pickup & Delivery Customer-facing online ordering service available at both Westside and Emory Village locations through Toast (pickup) and ChowNow (pickup and delivery), enabling at-home or office consumption of Wagaya's Japanese menu.
- Wagaya Catering Service Catering service for events in Atlanta, offering buffet or individual-pack options drawn from Wagaya's sushi, sashimi, salad, meat, seafood, and vegetarian menus, available for pickup or delivery to corporate, university, nonprofit, and entertainment clients.
- Wagaya Groceries Japanese Grocery Store Retail Japanese grocery store underneath the Westside restaurant, open Monday-Sunday 12pm-9:30pm, selling instant ramen, Japanese snacks, candies, seasonings, ice cream, craft beers, drinks, and cleaners, with online ordering available at wagayagroceries.com.
- Wagaya Gift Certificates Gift certificates redeemable at Wagaya's Westside and Emory Village restaurants, available for in-restaurant purchase or online with a mailing option, optionally presented in a handmade origami envelope by artist Mari Colle.
Companies that use Wagaya Japanese Restaurant
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Wagaya Japanese Restaurant technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Wagaya Japanese Restaurant partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Wagaya Japanese Restaurant competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Teriyaki Madness: Fast-casual Japanese/Asian franchise chain serving bowls, noodles, and ramen. Comparable to Wagaya on Japanese cuisine positioning and counter-service dine-in experience for lunch-focused consumers.
- Jinya Ramen Bar: US ramen-focused casual restaurant chain offering traditional Japanese ramen alongside small plates and sake. Directly comparable to Wagaya on ramen menu focus, dine-in service model, and target consumer seeking authentic Japanese food.
- Mitsuwa Marketplace: Japanese grocery and food hall operator combining imported retail goods with prepared Japanese dining. Most structurally comparable to Wagaya on the grocery-plus-restaurant combination model (Wagaya Groceries + Wagaya Restaurant).
- Marugame Udon: Japanese udon-focused restaurant chain with made-to-order noodles and tempura. Comparable to Wagaya on traditional Japanese format, fresh-prepared noodle focus, and broad appeal to lunch and dinner diners.
- Sarku Japan: Japanese quick-service chain primarily in mall and food-court locations offering teriyaki, sushi, and bento. Comparable to Wagaya on Japanese menu breadth and casual service model, though with food-court versus sit-down positioning.
- Kura Sushi USA: Tech-enabled Japanese sushi restaurant chain operating conveyor-belt and touch-screen ordering locations. Closely comparable to Wagaya on Japanese cuisine core and casual dine-in model, though at much larger scale.
- Ippudo: Internationally known Japanese ramen chain originating from Fukuoka, operating US locations. Comparable to Wagaya on ramen specialization, authentic-Japanese positioning, and dine-in focus on traditional noodle formats.
Others
- Uwajimaya: Pacific-Asian grocery retailer with stores that include prepared Japanese food counters. Comparable to Wagaya specifically through the grocery subsidiary (Wagaya Groceries), though it operates without a standalone full-service restaurant.
Regional players
- Nakato: Long-standing Atlanta Japanese restaurant and sushi bar. Direct local Atlanta competitor to Wagaya in the same metro, serving traditional Japanese cuisine and sushi to overlapping Atlanta diners.
- Ru Sans: Established Atlanta Japanese restaurant offering sushi, ramen, and hibachi. Comparable Atlanta-based Japanese restaurant competing with Wagaya for the same local Japanese-cuisine diner.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Wagaya Japanese Restaurant social profiles
Digital presenceWagaya Japanese Restaurant financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wagaya Japanese Restaurant leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Wagaya Japanese Restaurant subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Wagaya Japanese Restaurant funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wagaya Japanese Restaurant 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 Wagaya Japanese Restaurant
What does Wagaya Japanese Restaurant do?
Wagaya is an authentic Japanese restaurant with two Atlanta locations (Westside and Emory Village) serving fresh sushi, six varieties of ramen, donburi, teishoku combinations, and tempura for dine-in, pickup, and delivery. The offering is extended through a Japanese catering service for events, gift certificates, and an attached Japanese grocery store (Wagaya Groceries) selling imported ramen, snacks, seasonings, craft beer, and household goods.
Is Wagaya Japanese Restaurant a public or private company?
Wagaya Japanese Restaurant is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Wagaya Japanese Restaurant founded?
Wagaya Japanese Restaurant was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Wagaya Japanese Restaurant based?
Wagaya Japanese Restaurant is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, in the North America region.
How does Wagaya Japanese Restaurant make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Dine-In Restaurant Service is the primary driver. The others are online Ordering (Pickup & Delivery), catering Services, gift Certificates and japanese Grocery Store.
Who are Wagaya Japanese Restaurant's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Teriyaki Madness, Jinya Ramen Bar, Mitsuwa Marketplace, Marugame Udon, Sarku Japan, Kura Sushi USA and Ippudo. Uwajimaya is listed as an others. Regional players are Nakato and Ru Sans.
Does Wagaya Japanese Restaurant have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wagaya Japanese Restaurant.
What industry is Wagaya Japanese Restaurant in?
Wagaya Japanese Restaurant's product category is Japanese Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHAFAE, East Asian (Chinese/Japanese/Korean) Grocery Stores, with a secondary code of CRAHAKAD, In-Store Sushi & Asian Prepared Foods. Its NAICS code is 72251 and its SIC code is 5810.