Go! Go! Curry – a fast-casual franchise concept specializing in authentic, professionally-made Japanese comfort food – is aggressively scaling its U.S. franchise operations.
Having debuted in the U.S. in 2007, near Times Square in New York, Go! Go! Curry currently has six locations open and operating in New York City and one in Massachusetts, five of which have opened in the past three years alone. Today, the company is specifically targeting the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic for growth, where there is a surplus of hardworking professionals who are looking for a quick grab-and-go meal option.
“Go! Go! Curry provides a substantial, delicious and complete meal in five minutes or less. We started in Tokyo and moved to New York and over the years we’ve taken note of the busy, fast-paced lives of our customers. We knew that we could bring a level of comfort and peace to their day through our food,” President and CEO of Go! Go! Curry America Group LLC Tomoko Omori said. “Comfort food is universal and has wide appeal, which is why Japanese comfort food has been successful in translating across cultures. In recent years, Ramen has taken the U.S. by storm, while curry rice, a cult favorite in Japan alongside Ramen, has remained under-the-radar. That said, it is only a matter of time before mainstream America catches on to the allure, and Go! Go! Curry is proud to be integral in its proliferation.”
According to Omori, Go! Go! Curry plans to be the premier provider of delicious fast Japanese comfort food with 55 locations across the United States and Canada by 2022. Eventually, the brand plans to open 555 stores in 55 countries.
Japanese Comfort Food
Go! Go! Curry originates from Kanazawa-city, Ishikawa prefecture in Japan. In Japan, curry is a well-known comfort food traditionally served with black, thick curry sauce over Koshihikari rice, a premium short grain rice, with very thinly shredded cabbage and Pork Katsu – a crispy, deep fried pork cutlet. The thriving brand serves authentic Japanese comfort food in the form of traditional curry. The curry is made using Go! Go! Curry’s 55 process: 55 minutes to stew and 5.5 hours to mature.
With four sizes to choose from (small, medium, large, and extra-large), each meal can be customized with six different proteins, including pork, chicken, sausage, tofu, shrimp or vegetable tempura. Additionally, customers can select from five toppings; Rakkyo (sweet pickled shallots), broiled eggs, cheese, Fukujinzuke (pickled radish), Natto (fermented soybeans).
For those new to Japanese curry, Go! Go! Curry also offers suggested meals such as the Pork or Chicken Katsu Curry, Shrimp or Sausage Curry, the Original Go! Go! Curry, the Home Run, the Grand Slam and the World Champion Curry.
“Go” Means Five in Japanese
55 minutes to stew. 5.5 hours to mature. 55 locations operating by 2022. 555 stores in 55 countries.
What’s with all the 5s?
For starters, five is pronounced “GO” in Japanese. In addition, Go! Go! Curry is named after former New York Yankees all-star and World Series Champion Hideki Matsui, who wore jersey number 55. A native of Kanazawa, and hero to many in the region, Matsui has been Go! Go! Curry’s inspiration since day one. Hence, the Home Run, Grand Slam and World Champion dishes.
Multi-Unit Opportunities
“While Asian food is on the rise in the United States, Japanese comfort food is an untapped subgenre. Go! Go! Curry is proud to be the most active leader in the industry in the United States,” said Omori. “Franchisees outside of New York and Massachusetts will be the first in their area to bring the relatively new curry craze to their community before it becomes a saturated market like the ramen or sushi trends before it.” To augment the company’s expansion initiative, Go! Go! Curry is looking for highly qualified franchise partners to bring the curry craze to their area with a one-of-a-kind multi-unit opportunity.
Two main incentives
First, for units two through five, the initial franchise fee is only $20,000 as opposed to $25,000. For units in excess of five, the initial franchise fee is reduced to $17,500. Additionally, if after the franchisee has developed all of the franchised locations that we have agreed to in their development program with time still left on the schedule, Go! Go! Curry may approve them to open additional locations within that development territory with an initial franchise fee of only $12,500.
Secondly, multi-unit developers are eligible to earn a royalty credit once they’ve opened their fourth store. If a franchisee signs a development agreement with at least four stores, at the time they open their fourth store (and assuming they are in compliance with all agreements) their royalty rate is reduced 0.5% (half a percent) from 6% to 5.5% of gross revenues for all stores under that development agreement. This credit remains as long as they are compliant with all agreements. The initial investment to open a 1,200 to 1,800 sq. ft. Go! Go! Curry location ranges from $366,780 to $777,300.
AT A GLANCE
Name of franchise: Go! Go! Curry
Established: 2007
Location of units: New York, Massachusetts
Investment range: $366,780-$777,300
URL: www.gogocurryfranchise.com
Contact: (email and/or phone): Tomoko Omori, tomoko@gogocurryamerica.com
