wagamama

this week we welcome our guests to become soul club members ❤️ - two years in the making, soul club is our answer to the expanding world of loyalty platforms - because while arigato means thank you in japan, soul club means thank you at wagamama 🙏 - sides and mains on us, a packed food and recipe platform, a line-up of unmissable events, and monthly merch drops await our soul club members. plus so much more 🍜 - this project has been a truly collaborative effort. with team leads from every department working to create our unique world of loyalty - we can’t wait to nurture this new community, both digitally and in restaurant 🙌

we are extremely proud to announce that we’ve been named by The Sunday Times as one of the best places to work in 2024! - in collaboration with WorkL For Business + under the very big organisation category, we made the list following the results of our latest employee engagement survey, giving insight into how our teams feel working with us - a true testament to our people promise, we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for our team where they are encouraged to learn, develop + thrive. we have real conversations to make sure everyone at wagamama feels listened to + most importantly, can bring their true selves to work - at wagamama, everyone has a seat at our bench and in the true spirit of kaizen we continually try to evolve ways of looking after our wagamama community. a great example of this is activating our charity partnership with Shout UK, the uk’s only 24/7 crisis text service which gives opportunity + support for our team to volunteer, supporting our team to nourish + flourish and importantly signposted as a resource for any of our team should they need to use it - we just want to say a huge thank you to all our teams across our restaurants, central production unit + noodle hq who are the heartbeat of wagamama, delivering the wagamama magic day in day out ❤ - #sundaytimesbestplacestowork #wagamama #careers

say hello to noi, one of our head chefs who was recently promoted to area head chef. she shares a day in the life of a head chef here at wagamama 👩🍳 - being a head chef at wagamama is all about inspiring your team of chefs with a passion for fresh food + open kitchens where they can showcase their skills to our guests 🔥 - you create an environment for them to nourish + flourish, providing them with the tools they need to thrive + become our wokstars of the future 🍜 - over the next few weeks we’ll be showcasing some of our incredible head chefs from across wagamama over on our people instagram feed @soulsofwagamama so head over there for more ✨ - in the mean time, if you have a passion for people, fresh food + inspiring leadership could you be our next head chef? we have opportunities across the uk with relocation support also available. to find out more + register your interest click the link below in the comments ⬇

thank you Casual Dining Awards 2024, for inviting us + awarding wagamama with menu innovation + restaurant brand of the year (50+ sites) - it’s an honour to be able to celebrate the industry we love so much with our peers - these awards are for our foh + boh teams who deliver wagamama magic day in day out ❤ Thomas Heier Kay Bartlett Nige Sherwood vicky hall (nee quin) Matt Crumpler Stefan Beavis steven mangleshot Philip Derbyshire

this week is the start of apprenticeship week + we sat down with diamond, one of our incredible apprentices where she told us about her journey ❤️ - we can’t wait to see what the future holds for diamond who is already smashing it as one of our 2023 wokstar winners 🙌 - if you would like to find out more about our apprentice scheme + how you can apply for a range of courses, from front of house and back of house, please follow the links below⚡️ - apprentice front of house | https://lnkd.in/e7rwisVG  - apprentice chef | https://lnkd.in/e59FqJSD - Lifetime Training  #naw2024

last week was our 2024 annual conference, this time hosted in brighton 🙌   2024’s conference theme was all on one bench. all on one bench is about bringing our amazing wagamama community together, supporting and caring for each other + creating love above the door for our teams and our guests    there was a series of panels, events + breakout sessions that gave our teams a taste of what’s to come + what we can achieve in 2024    of course, there was an epic celebration to finish with star awards (catch our COO Nige Sherwood on the tambourine) where we acknowledge some key people + celebrate the incredible leaders that bring the true meaning of all on one bench to life on a daily basis ❤️   thank you to everyone who helped us create the most amazing 2 days, you are all superstars 🌟

we are honoured to have been nominated for employer of the year, menu innovation + restaurant brand of the year at the casual dining awards 🙌  a huge thank you to our team of brilliant people, who show up every day and lead with #kaizen in their hearts, our guiding philosophy of continuous improvement 🫶 - Casual Dining Awards 2024

you may remember that in january this year we partnered with the wonderful charity The Bread and Butter Thing an incredible organisation that supports communities living in food insecurity by providing groceries + fresh produce at their warm hubs   through the partnership we hosted our own warm hubs in 9 wagamama restaurants across the uk throughout january and february. working with the bread and butter thing to fund the delivery of over 1 million meals to people who needed them, as well as gifting over 10,000 retail products + having our chefs host free cooking demonstrations    it was a real honour to work with the incredible people who make up the bread and butter thing’s community, and we’re proud to share that our partnership has been recognised by Charity Times awards 2023, where we won the corporate community local involvement award   this project was made possible by a brilliant group of people + we want to take this moment to give our thanks to Sita Dobbs beth elston Alice Eagle Milly Pearson Emily Weston Mark Game Fiona Williams + Victoria Harper

wagamama, powered by PANGAIA  - a meaningful partnership brought together by the mission to bring our people new, long-lasting, quality uniforms - positive eating. positive living. the founding philosophy upon which wagamama's walls were built. an ethos that takes on deeper meaning as we make small choices for big, impactful change - + when the idea of a uniform collaborator was on the bench, PANGAIA's transparency, integrity + commitment to positive change made them an unmissable choice - a materials science company, PANGAIA are on a mission to accelerate an earth-positive future, where their products are better for the planet than if they did not exist - our t-shirts are made from organic cotton + the fibers are grown without toxic pesticides. and they are treated with PPRMINT™, a plant-based peppermint oil that neutralizes + prevents the growth of odor-causing bacteria. follow the link in our bio for more info  - a special thanks to the vibrant + passionate team members who made up our cast - fargo e zimphango, antoine anthony dillon, kenza maeve, andrew brown, harley amber, tanya makunda, thomas baxter, stephanie posa, chipilliro madziakapita, isobel broomfield, sasha galster, luke taylor, keesha mcallister, ben hook, eden moody, jack steward + amber ogunsanya-william