Afuri

What Afuri does

Afuri is a Japanese ramen restaurant brand that originated with its first Tokyo shop in 2003 and now operates 11 locations across the United States (Portland, Los Angeles, Culver City, Costa Mesa, Houston, Brooklyn, Manhattan), Canada (Toronto), and Hong Kong under the legal entity AFURI USA INC for its US operations. The menu centers on signature yuzu-shio style ramen with a 'light and crisp' broth built on natural umami, alongside sustainably sourced sushi and izakaya-style small plates, all prepared without artificial coloring, preservatives, or synthetic flavor enhancers, with vegan and gluten-free options. Sub-brands include AFURI IZAKAYA (Portland), AFURI FINE RAMEN (premium concept), and Onigiri Kome (rice balls).

The business operates a hybrid direct-to-consumer and franchise model. Company-operated and franchised locations generate dine-in, takeout, catering, and private event revenue; franchise partners pay a $45,000 initial fee plus 5% royalty and 1% advertising fee on gross sales against a $500K–$1M unit build-out. Order capture and guest engagement run through Toast Tab (online ordering, gift cards, reservations, waitlist, loyalty) and are augmented by third-party delivery integrations (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Postmates, Caviar, ChowNow) and reservation platforms (Resy, Yelp). A points-based loyalty program (1 point per $1, free ramen at 150 points, $15 birthday credit) drives repeat visitation. Customer segments are general consumers seeking authentic Japanese cuisine, corporate and private event buyers in Portland, and franchise entrepreneurs evaluating expansion opportunities.

Name

Afuri

Legal name

AFURI USA INC

Website

https://www.afuriramen.com/home

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Afuri is a Japanese ramen restaurant chain founded in Tokyo in 2003, operating 11 locations across the US, Canada, and Hong Kong. It serves individual diners, event buyers, and franchisees with ramen, sushi, izakaya small plates, catering, and a US franchise program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

akta.pro primary industry

In-Store Sushi & Asian Prepared Foods (CRAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Ramen restaurant chain
• Izakaya-style dining
• Japanese cuisine
• Restaurant franchise operations
• Sushi and ramen

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Restaurant dine-in sales: Revenue from customers dining at physical restaurant locations, including ramen, sushi, and other Japanese dishes.
2. Catering and private events: Revenue from off-site catering orders and venue buyouts for private/corporate events in Portland.
3. Franchise fees and royalties: Initial franchise fee of $45,000 per store plus ongoing royalty fees of 5% of gross sales and advertising fee of 1% of gross sales.
4. Gift card sales: E-gift cards sold for use at US AFURI locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Afuri operates a Japanese ramen restaurant chain serving light, crisp yuzu-shio style ramen with naturally derived umami, alongside a full sushi menu and izakaya-style small plates, rice bowls, and desserts. The company serves customers through dine-in at company-operated and franchise locations, takeout, third-party delivery, and supporting offerings including catering, venue buyouts, e-gift cards, and a points-based loyalty program. A franchise program provides market research, site selection, training, and marketing support to franchisees for U.S. expansion.

Product overview

AFURI is a Japanese ramen restaurant chain that operates as a multi-location restaurant business with several distinct venue concepts. The core product portfolio centers on ramen (signature light and crisp yuzu-shio style), sushi (fresh, sustainably sourced), and izakaya-style small plates. Afuri operates multiple location types including full-service restaurants (AFURI Brooklyn, Houston Heights, Toronto, Los Angeles locations), izakaya-style venues, and the premium AFURI FINE RAMEN concept. The company offers complementary services including e-gift cards, a loyalty program (points-based with free ramen rewards), catering services, and restaurant buyout rentals. Afuri also operates a franchise program for expansion. All locations feature fresh, high-quality ingredients prepared without artificial ingredients, with menu options including vegan and gluten-free accommodations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AFURI IZAKAYA: Izakaya-style Japanese restaurant concept featuring ramen, sushi, small plates, and full bar service in Portland, Oregon.
• AFURI FINE RAMEN
• Onigiri Kome

Products and services

• AFURI Ramen

Quantifiable outcome

• Featured in Bloomberg article 'The Best Ramen in Tokyo' as a top pick by David Chang

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Market research and site selection partner agencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFURI provides full support services for franchise partners including market research, site research, and site selections through their partner agency.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ippudo: Global Japanese ramen chain originating from Fukuoka with multiple US locations. Direct head-to-head competitor in the premium ramen category with similar dine-in, takeout, and franchise-like expansion model.
• Ichiran: Iconic Japanese tonkotsu ramen chain with international locations including the US. Competes directly with AFURI on authentic ramen positioning and international brand recognition.
• Jinya Ramen Bar: US-based ramen chain with multiple corporate and franchise locations nationwide. Closest US scale competitor in modern ramen format, sharing dine-in, takeout, and franchise GTM.
• Marugame Udon: Japanese udon chain with global footprint including US locations. Comparable Japanese noodle QSR concept targeting the same casual-dining customer seeking authentic Japanese food.
• Teriyaki Madness: US franchise-focused Japanese fast-casual chain. Closest peer on Japanese cuisine plus franchise-led expansion GTM and similar real estate footprint strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Kura Sushi: Public Japanese sushi restaurant chain operating in the US. Broader incumbent in the Japanese dining space with overlapping sushi positioning and comparable unit economics model.
• Sweetgreen: Public fast-casual chain with omnichannel ordering and digital loyalty. Comparable fast-casual restaurant business model and tech stack (in-house digital ordering, loyalty), though in a different cuisine category.
• Cava Group: Public fast-casual Mediterranean chain. Comparable fast-casual restaurant business model with omnichannel ordering and a focus on ingredient quality, useful as a benchmark for premium-casual unit economics.

Emerging players

• Pokeworks: Asian-inspired fast-casual chain with US franchise presence. Comparable in serving raw/prepared Asian protein dishes in a fast-casual format with omnichannel ordering.
• Dig: Fast-casual chain emphasizing fresh, high-quality ingredients with omnichannel ordering. Comparable on the 'natural ingredient' positioning and modern fast-casual restaurant operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/afuri_la
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Afuri